The five home electrical items draining your electricity, even when they are switched off

An expert in electrical training has named household appliances and devices that continue to draw electrical power, even in standby mode. This comes with a warning to all British homeowners that by switching some electrical items off, it does not always mean that it stops drawing on electricity. 

Charanjit Mannu, Director at Elec Training, an electrical training centre based in the West Midlands, names this “standby consumption”. Mannu continues by explaining this is often a misunderstood aspect of electrical energy usage: “People assume that when they press the off button on an electrical item, it means it’s no longer using energy,” Mannu continues, “however, a number of household appliances and devices continue to draw on energy whilst in a low-power state or continually awaiting to pick up a signal.” Mannu added that the lack of awareness of standby consumption is something that comes up throughout his work. Understanding how electricity behaves within the home is a fundamental part of working confidently in domestic electrical installation. 

The five devices Mannu flagged may surprise many British homeowners. 

Televisions are at the top of the flagged list. The modern, flat screen TVs with all the smart functions always remain connected to wifi and continually online receiving information and software updates. Mannu goes further by stating most British households have more than one smart TV, which increases the flagged problem. 

Games consoles follow as a close second. Similarly, they are also connected to the wifi and receive updates and stay connected to networks. Many games consoles also have a default manufacturer setting where updates run overnight. Mannu says “consoles are drawing electrical power when it is not actively being used.” 

Speaking of wifi, broadband routers are third in the list. They run electricity continually as a lot of British homeowners never switch them off. Although the electrical pull is smaller than TVs and games consoles, they pull more consistently 24 hours a day. 

Coming in fourth is desktop computers and their monitors. These devices draw power in sleep mode more than what most British homeowners would expect. Having electrical items powered down and in sleep mode are distinctively different, and this shows on the homeowner’s electricity bill over time. 

Fifth on the list is the microwave oven. This appliance usually has a continual digital display for the time. Mannu explains: “we use the microwave only for a few minutes a day on average, but we often leave it plugged in for 24 hours a day.” 

The Government’s Household Electricity Survey investigated 250 households in England examining standby power and consumption. The findings of the research identified that standby mode and low-level consumption from electrical items as discussed above contribute to electricity usage and ultimately increase household bills. 

Mannu’s take on this research is to reduce consumption by actively switching devices off at the wall rather than leaving on standby. This is the most influential action that homeowners can take, and this can be done with smart plugs with timing functions to cut power off at set times. This will help with those busy households that may forget to do this manually. 

“Our electricity usage is easy to overlook because it is not visible. We are more likely to change one of our habits if we can directly see how it impacts us and how simple the change is into our daily routine. Using a smart plug or setting a timer as part of a routine helps us to imbed this into a new behaviour and is therefore easier to maintain over time,” Karen Mills, Business Psychologist. 

Mannu further states: “Many households worry about being ‘off the grid’ and not having connectivity, however, turning your router off at night saves money and does not affect other items as they soon recalibrate when turned back on.” 

Therefore, for households looking to reduce utility bills, changes in routine and lifestyle such as switching off electrical items instead of putting into standby mode will build into a real saving over a full year. “It’s not about making massive changes but it’s about understanding how these could impact your home,” Mannu said.