Switch Off Appliances | Save Energy

Most household appliances are used a couple of times a day, at most. When we perceive these as being off, they are often just on standby. However did you know that these appliances are using up energy even when they aren’t on?

Standby power is the electricity used when appliances are switched off or in rest mode. Nearly all appliances with an external power supply, display or remote control will draw power continuously until they are shut off at the mains.

In fact, by leaving your household appliances on standby instead of unplugging them can cost you up to £100 per year on top of your bills, so it pays to be more savvy with your electricity usage.

So which electrical items should be turned off at the mains?

Television

According to uSwitch, only 2% of households turn their TV off at the wall with over 98% of people leaving their television on standby for over 11 hours a day. With most families having a television in bedrooms and kitchens as well as their living room it can quickly add up.

Computer

Computers are another culprit and can cost up to £20 a year to run on standby. Screen savers might save the screen but they don’t save energy – so change your settings so that the computer goes into sleep mode or shut it off. By doing this it will also last longer and if you have a laptop the battery will certainly last longer.

Devices

If you leave your phone charging even when it has a full charge it will use energy. You’ll also find that your battery won’t last as long. Charge it and remove it until the battery is low.

Set top boxes

Set top boxes such as Freeview are energy-consuming devices that can be easily turned off. While recording devices like Sky can consume £20 of energy each year they often need to be left in standby mode to record scheduled programmes. However if you have Sky Q the additional boxes can be turned off without disrupting any planned recordings or downloads, just make sure you leave the master box on.

Games console

A games console might not be as high on your priority list as it is for your kids, but it’s important to keep in mind when it comes to energy saving. These can use up to £30 in energy annually when turned off, so it is definitely worth teaching your kids to switch them off as soon as they’re finished playing.

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