drewp for 2008 June 12 (entry 0)

[link] 2008-06-12T19:48:18 Garage door power usage:

Kelsi and I wondered how much power the garage door opener uses, since we often use it on days when we ride our bikes. I plugged it into a little power meter.

The surprise is that the motor runs at 650W and the lights afterwards use 120W. A full garage-open-close event uses a lot more power to shine the light than to open the door.

I hope the solution will be to remove the light, run some home automation network to the garage, and computer-control all the garage lights and door. E.g. "when you know I biked to work, and it's now the evening, and the bluetooth sensor sees my cell phone nearby: open the door and turn on the light exactly long enough for me to get inside, as measured by the sensor on the door inside the house".

Our garage door opener also uses 3W when it's idle :(

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