Many households unknowingly keep their electrics on standby all the time, not realizing the long-term cost implications.
RSVP reports unplugging appliances when not in use can save families around €168 on their annual energy bills. While it may be tedious to switch appliances on and off daily, it can significantly benefit families navigating the cost-of-living crisis.
The top three devices all cost you over €10 each, without providing any additional utility. Here are the ten appliances that consume the most standby energy from the team at Quotezone.co.uk:
1. Games console
Apart from running costs, leaving your gaming console on standby for a year will cost you €31.53. Modern gaming consoles are more powerful now and consume a lot of energy as they remain connected to the internet even in standby mode.
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2. Desktop computer
With many people working from home, using computers for most of the day already adds a considerable sum to their electricity bills. Leaving the computer on standby will add another €15.34 to their annual bills.
3. Laptop
The annual standby cost of laptops is €11.93. The good thing with laptops is that you can unplug them as soon as they're charged instead of letting them consume power all day.
4. Smart speakers
Smart speakers consume 3W per hour on standby. While people usually use smart speakers for a few hours a day, leaving them plugged in and on standby all year round adds €8.52 to annual electricity bills.
5. Dishwasher
Dishwashers use the same amount of standby energy per hour as smart speakers, with an annual cost of €8.52. If you're doing multiple loads a day, you may not want to leave it on standby, but it's still worth switching it off for the night.
6. Washing machine
You pay less than 1p for an hour of standby use of your washing machine, yet it costs €7.39 for an entire year. With the same amount of money, you can run two 3W LED bulbs for an entire year for 8 hours a day.
7. Tumble dryer
Tumble dryers are one of the highest energy-consuming appliances, costing you €1.37 per cycle. Just like washing machines, leaving tumble dryers on standby will add another unnecessary €7.39 to your annual bills.
8. Microwave
Many households leave their microwaves on all the time, even when they only use them for less than an hour per day. Microwaves already have a high daily active cost, but if they're also never switched off, it'll cost families an extra €6.82 per year.
9. TV
The annual standby cost for a TV is €6.53, but it'll be even more expensive if you have a set-top box. TVs are already one of the energy-hungriest devices, so make sure to switch them off when they're not in use to cut back on costs.
10. Printer
As everything's online now, printers don't usually find a lot of everyday use for average households. However, they're often left in standby mode all year round, costing €1.42 per year. It's not a significant sum of money, but saving it instead of letting it go to waste makes sense.
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