Does standby really use that much electricity?

Consumer electronics like hi-fis and TVs are the single biggest energy user within the average UK household and it is growing! As technology has developed and our lifestyles have changed we increasingly have access to iPods, digital radios, DVD players and much more. An important step we can take towards saving electricity in the home is to take care not to leave all these devices on standby when we are not using them.

Flicking your TV or hi-fi onto standby before going to bed using a remote control might seem like the easiest option but by turning it off properly once you have finished with it you could save the equivalent of 60% of the electricity you use playing music or watching TV.

Digital radios have grown in popularity in recent years, but few people realize that they use up to four times the amount of energy as traditional analogue radios when running. It is even more important to know that when they are switched off (but not at the wall switch) they continue to use up to 5 watts on average.

The level of power being used by a device on standby is usually much less than when it is fully operation however if left on standby 24 hours a day it can often match or exceed the amount of power consumed during the shorter periods it is fully operational. The simple act of switching your entertainment systems fully off when they are not in use will save you a lot of money over the course of a year while also helping to reduce your carbon footprint.