These devices draw power when they are turned OFF

These devices draw power when they are turned OFF

Many people believe that when an electrical device is turned OFF it doesn’t use power. But it is not true. You may be surprised to know that many commonly used electric appliances at your home use power when turned OFF. Some electrical devices don’t turn OFF and still consume electricity in a standby mode. 

Electrical appliances consume electricity in standby power mode because of the construction of their power supplies. It is known as phantom energy, vampire energy, leaking electricity, or electricity leak. In this article, we will talk about various electrical devices that consume energy while they are turned OFF and some tips that you can use to save electricity and money. 

Appliances consuming energy while they are turned OFF

You will be amazed knowing the number of electrical devices that still consume electricity while they are turned OFF. Any device having an LCD panel, clock, or light including DVR or DVD player, TV, computer, cable box, microwave, and many other still consume energy while they are turned OFF. 

Electric appliances that have a standby or sleep power option never turned OFF completely and they only go into sleep or standby mode. Many models of computers, televisions, monitors, and cable boxes will do this, instead of completely turning OFF.

1. Microwave

When the microwave is not used for heating food, they still have a timer to show the time that needs the energy to run.

2. Video Game Console

When you take a break from your gaming session, your video game console will be still at work. You may not completely shut down the game so that you can resume it quickly or there can be some auto software update, such things will consume power in the background. 

3. Phone Charger

It is certainly very easy and convenient to pick a cable and connect it to your phone to charge it but if you leave the charger plugged in the socket it will keep on drawing energy even if nothing is connected to them. The same is true for a fully charged phone that is still plugged in. 

4. Computer

When turning OFF the computer, we generally don’t power it OFF completely, but instead, put it in hibernate or sleep mode. In such a condition, the computer is placed in a low power mode so that the programs remain active and you can easily and quickly turn it on again. The same is correct for monitors in case it is not turned off from the power button. It will remain in low power mode and wait for the signal from the PC to be turned ON again.

5. Television

On standby mode, you may have noticed the red light on your television. It is one of the indications that your TV is drawing energy even when it is turned OFF. Many latest models of televisions come with a listening feature that turned your TV on by your voice or other devices. This requires a continuous source of energy to have it ready for any action. So, it draws power while turned OFF. TVs also have to stay alert to be turned on through a remote. 

6. Printer

It happens when you leave the printer on standby mode so that you don’t have to turn it ON each time you need to print something. Printers with wireless features also have to keep the WiFi signal active so they consume even more electricity.

7. DVD Player or Blu Ray

Such appliances usually display the time when turned OFF so they always consume electricity to let their LED display keep working. Moreover, they have to stay all set to get signals from the remote to be turned on.

Amount of energy consumed by these electric appliances 

Experts say that the amount of energy consumed by these electrical appliances greatly varies depending on the type of device you use. Some appliances only consume a watt of energy while others may draw 50 watts or even more. For instance, chargers for mobile phones only use a watt of power when remain plugged in even when not in use. The same phone charger will draw 4.5 watts of energy when left plugged in after your phone is 100 percent charged. Moreover, rear projection TVs or DVRs will use more than 48.5 watts when turned OFF.

The cost of electricity leak

With time, the power lost to energy vampires may begin to accumulate. In case the electricity leak of your home is about 2,369.7 kWh per year, it is not negligible as you will have to pay more than £407.56 additional for your energy bill. Many homes pay an even bigger amount. 

How to prevent the drainage of energy

The most reasonable and easiest way to prevent losing energy is by unplugging the devices that consume energy when not in use. However, for some homeowners, it is time-consuming and difficult to unplug all the appliances when not in use. So, it can be advantageous for you to get a surge protector or smart power strip installed to stop losing power to energy vampires. They will automatically cut OFF the power to appliances when they are turned OFF and deliver power to those that are turned on.

Look for products with Energy Star labels

It is a great practice to get the products with the Energy Star label that certifies that such products are energy-efficient and don’t consume energy when they are turned OFF. Energy Star labels are available for transformers and chargers that are two of the key culprits of energy waste. Various power strips are also created that can identify when energy is needed and if no appliance is connected, no energy will be drawn from the power strip.

Such small energy increments may seem insignificant but we are in the middle of the green revolution, thus saving a couple of hundred watts of energy each year individually throughout the world, will surely start adding up. Based on your present usage habits and the type of product, you can save somewhere between a few pounds and hundreds of pounds each year on your energy bills.