Power Consumption of C8 and ZEN17 Relay-Constant On?

[velvetfoot]

A little info and a question.

I plugged in my USB multimeter to a C8 hub and ZEN17 and got the results below.

The ZEN17 with one relay consumes about as much juice as the hub does on average, and with two relays on, is at the hub's peak value.
Which probably matters only if you want to stretch out a battery's charge.

My plan is to configure the relay so that a relay would be powered most of the time, ie, not on battery.
Would having the relay almost constantly powered be a bad thing? I know I have several relays in the house that have been powered on for years.

C8
Battery supply voltage: 5.07v
Red light (radio(s?)): .06a
Peak: .36a
Idling: .11a

ZEN17:
Power source: Transformer (plug)
No relays on:
5v
0a

1 relay on:
5.1v
.18a

2 relays on:
5.2v
.34a

[kampto]

How much is that transformer plug on the ZEN17 pulling by itself?

[velvetfoot]

The USB plug of the meter is plugged into the transformer, but I guess it would still be measuring the current through the transformer, wouldn't it? Hmmm..
Just when I think I had some meaningful data...

Perhaps I'll try plugging it into the battery, so they're similar...

[velvetfoot]

Ok, this is with plugging into the same battery:

5.08v
0 relay:
5.08v
0a

1 relay:
5.07a
.17a

2 relays:
5.07a
.32a