Leaving appliances in standby mode consumes a significant amount of energy. Many appliances have a standby mode during which they are not providing useful output but still consume energy. Standby power is electricity used by appliances and equipment while they are switched off or not performing their primary function.
Because power is used by appliances while they are not performing their primary function, this standby power is considered as an electricity loss.
(Photo: Невідомий)
According to recent measurements in some 1.300 homes across the EU, the average standby electricity consumption is 169 kWh per household per year, which is about 6.3% of the total annual electricity consumption per household. The standby energy for all households in the EU-27 countries amounts to about 43 TWh in total, and it is responsible for about 19 million tonnes of C02 per year. The standby of all the office equipment used in EU-27 countries is estimated to be about 9 TWh. Altogether, standby power use is roughly responsible for 1% of global CO2 emissions (Selina project).
By switching off energy-sucking appliances you help saving the environment but also save yourself €42 a year (based on the average household energy consumption).