You are wasting money leaving your devices on standby mode. Here are the ones you should turn off
These devices are real vampires on your energy bill: you don't use them all the time, but they always consume energy. You can pay less if you don't keep them in standby mode.
Faced with the prospect of high energy bills this coming winter, many households are looking to reduce their electricity consumption. There is a simple way to reduce your expenses without much sacrifice, which we don't think about.
Are we wasting energy by having our devices in standby mode?
Statistics show that most household appliances are typically used between 3 and 30 minutes per day; the rest of the time they are in standby mode. And we don't even use computers and televisions 24 hours a day. Often we keep all these devices in standby (phantom), and we think that in this mode the power consumption is close to zero. But that's not true. If you leave them on standby, they will continue to consume power even when you are not using them.
It is estimated that the standby power of a single device accounts for up to 40% of its total power consumption. The U.S. Department of Energy estimates that homeowners could save $100 to $200 a year by turning off unused devices that don't need to be kept on all the time.
Turn off these devices to make your energy consumption more sustainable
An easy way to reduce consumption and save money is to turn off the following devices:
Desktop computer: Many people are now working from home and therefore use their computers for most of the day, which significantly increases their energy bills. Leaving your computer on standby will add a couple of dozens of dollars to your annual bill.
Laptop: A laptop uses a little power each day when on standby, but if you multiply that by 365 days, the annual consumption will affect your bill. You can unplug it once it's charged instead of letting it consume power all day. Even when computers are turned off and charged, they consume electricity. Therefore, it is preferable to completely unplug them, especially at night.
Smart speakers: They consume 3 watts per hour in standby mode. Typically used several hours a day. If they stay connected year-round, they'll add about $10 to your annual bills.
TV: The annual standby cost of a TV is comparable to the power consumption of a laptop, and this amount can increase if you have a TV box. TVs are one of the most power-hungry devices, so be sure to turn them off when not in use.
Printer: Printing devices are used less and less on a daily basis, but they often remain in standby mode all year round. What's the point of keeping the printer on if you print once a month?
Gaming console: Modern consoles, such as PlayStation, or Xbox, remain connected to the Internet even in "rest" mode while downloading the latest updates. Consoles don't use much power in this mode, but it's still wise to leave them in this mode overnight no more than once a week. In addition to unnecessary energy consumption, there is also the danger of power surges that can lead to data corruption.
Dryers: On average, clothing and laundry dryers use more electricity than washing machines, but dryers are becoming more sophisticated and less energy-intensive, especially if they are vent-type advanced machines. In any case, if you do not dry things in the machine very often, it is advisable to turn it off completely. Also, use economical wash, rinse and dry cycles.