Simulation of the Stock of Electric Appliances and Calculation of Standby Losses for Latvia

Standby losses in households are discussed in this paper. As there was no information on the total volume of standby losses in Latvia, the objective of the study was to calculate: the percentage from the household total electricity bill that goes to standby losses; what are the total costs for these losses; and how much CO₂ is produced to generate the amount of electricity that is needed to cover these standby losses. All calculations were conducted for one and for all households in Latvia and the results of one household were compared with an average European household. Finally, the savings potential that can be obtained implementing the Eco-design Directive and other political instruments was examined.