Switch it off at the Plug. (Don't Stand By.)
The number of TVs in the UK is estimated to reach 74 million by 2020, meaning that there will be more televisions than people to watch them – or maybe we’ll be watching more than one at once.
But Britain is a nation on stand-by. We waste the equivalent of around two power stations’ worth of electricity each year simply by leaving TV sets and other gadgets on standby mode.
When electrical equipment is in sleep mode it uses roughly 7TWh of energy and emits around 800,000 tonnes of carbon. To put it another way, the entire population of Glasgow could fly to New York and back and the resulting emissions would still be less than those from devices left in sleep mode. (That’s a lot of Glaswegians in Manhattan, by the way.)
A survey by the Energy Saving Trust found that the average household has up to 12 gadgets left on standby or charging at any one time. It also showed that more than £740m of electricity was wasted by things being left ticking over. They found that 1 in 7 people questioned thought putting devices on standby was actually more energy-efficient than switching them on and off. However, they say: ‘This is largely a myth. There may have been some issues with very old electronic components, but it is certainly not the case with today’s consumer electronic goods.’
Estimated annual CO2 emissions from devices left on standby (source: Energy Saving Trust):
- Stereos – 1,600,000 tonnes
- Videos – 960,000 tonnes
- TVs – 480,000 tonnes
- Consoles – 390,000 tonnes
- DVD players – 100,000 tonnes
- Set-top boxes – 60,000 tonnes
So, let’s ban ourselves from selecting the ‘small red dot’ mode. When it’s off, make sure it really is ‘off’, and not in some vague ‘place’ in between that actually causes damage to the environment.
Visit the Energy Saving Trust website here
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30 Jun 2006
This was easy for me, as I’d never got into the habit of leaving things on stand-by. I know some people are strongly in favour of not switching things off at the plug, but I’ve yet to see convincing evidence that modern electrical equipment is damaged by powering up when it’s switched back on.
05 Jul 2006
S’pose this isn’t rocket science – and now I’m getting some excercise bending over and clicking the switch on the wall socket too! Most PCs are not really “off” unless you switch off at the plug either – especially if you use Standby. There are people who tell you to “keep things running because they go wrong when they start up” – advice that might have applied in the days of valves but now we should switch things off. It’s more likely “things wear out from continuous operation”! Think of all the money we’ll save on our electricity bills, and a we can save a little bit of the planet too.
Darwen, GB , 05 Jul 2006
I want to do this. I have already started with the telly. I would like to do this with the computer base + monitor + speakers + modem, but my son insists that they use more energy when being started up.
Who knows the answer to this one?
I cannot do it with the video, I have to set it up again after the main switch has been off. I expect its the same with the DVD. Microwave also needs resetting.
Shame really as I would like to save myself money as well as the planet.
Glastonburry, GB , 05 Jul 2006
Computers should be listed here as well,
JOE: the whole bit about computers consuming more by startup is a farce. Think about it, most pcs use ~400watts of power, thats like 6 light bulbs plugged in all day.
just turn the bloody thing off, and you’ll notice your electricity bill dip.
Reading, GB , 08 Jul 2006
So it’s ok to turn off my modem and the set top box and they’ll still work in the morning? Have always been sacerd that I’ll no longer be able to access internet/watch cable tv if I switched these items off at the mains. The microwave’s always on, but as we only use it a few times in the wk I guess there’s no need to have it switched. I like the idea of saving mega amounts of electricity. If we all did it it would make such a massive difference
22 Aug 2006
I always switch off the TV & stereo but I need to remember to do the microwave and the oven tonight and from now on.
11 Sep 2006
We’ve been switching off our microwave and oven in-between use for about a year now – the rare occasions when we use the oven-timer, we just reset the clock first. We have to switch off the digital radio as it buzzes when on stand-by! However, we’re not so good at switching off the computer, so will focus on this.
Edinburgh, GB , 28 Sep 2006
I frequently anoy my friends and family by switching stuff of in their houses too, its the things with clocks on that anoys them, but hey I think its worth it!!!
Frome, GB , 12 Oct 2006
Save yourself some work most sockets are downbehind chairs etc, so invest in an anti-surge socket with 6 independent switches, currently in Argos for £19 made by master plug.
This way you can turn on the item as you need it with out scrabbling behind chairs all the time.
Leicester, GB , 13 Oct 2006
This is kind of a cheat thing – we don’t have a TV. But we have a microwave which we turn off at the wall and we need to sort out the office because if we go in there at night with the light off, there are lots of other little blinking lights already in there, either we have an alien invasion on out hands, or there are loadsa little lights on.
Cardiff, GB , 22 Oct 2006
Sky/Cable boxes and DVD players are OK to turn off at night. Sky always used to say don’t cos thats how they got their viewing figures (and if you are still in your first years contract then they might object). But it resets itself which is a good thing.
DVD player doesn’t have a clock so thats OK.
Computer is usually off at night – you can set a shutdown option as well which will shut it down at a certain time (not just put it into standby). Although the wall switch is still on, the computer itself is OFF and not just stood by. Modems etc (and even hubs/wireless routers etc) are unaffected by this. Ours just takes 10 seconds to rebuild the “map” of who is where – which is good because if we’ve moved laptops round to plug in somewhere else it works faster. If you have wireless, it is more secure to switch off when not in use.
D
31 Oct 2006
Not doing fantastically well at this, but trying. Monitor is now getting switched off at the plug – that’s 5W saved. TV is always switched off when not in use as it has a proper power button. Phone charger not left on.
Challenging ones are PVR box and microwave. PVR won’t record if switched off, and microwave is also a handy clock. We could probably make do without the latter.
Newark, GB , 12 May 2007
Wireless now goes off at the wall every night. Microwave is now always off – only switch it on at the wall if I need to use it! My DVD player automatically picks up the date/time when it’s turned on so is fine to leave switched off most of the time. And my electricity bill? Now less for a 3 bed house than it was in a 1 bed flat!
Amersham, GB , 15 May 2007
I really hate scrabbling under my desk at the end of the day to unplug my computer (pathetic, isn’t it!) but I’m trying! My husband keeps reminding me whenever he sees that tell-tale little green light…
New Malden, GB , 16 May 2007
I’m currently keeping my computer, TV, Video, DVD player, Digital box, Wireless broadband box, all turned off at the wall when not using. I leave my microwave and dishwasher on because the plugs are too hard to access behind the worktop and I use them alot, and my radio alarm, because the clock and radio stations reset if it’s off for more than an hour. It’s no problem turning off the broadband box, as it takes about the same time as the computer to turn on, and I’m not watching the TV much so makes sense to keep all that stuff turned off at the wall (also stops me from watching it unless I really want to!). At work I find it amazing how so many people don’t turn off their computers, monitors and printers at the end of the day – it doesn’t take long to do and saves so much energy!
17 May 2007
We have had a project over the last year to put everything so that it is easy to turn off at the socket. We’ve also made a determined effort to turn off lights and so on. In the last 12 months we have saved 15% on our electricity usage!! I was completely gobsmacked! So it is definitely worth doing.
Helston / falmouth, GB , 30 Jul 2007
I cant believe how many things we used to leave on standby!!!! Now its hard to find anything even plugged in… we are really trying hard!
GB , 14 Aug 2007
A few months back I bought a marvellous eco-gadget: The INTELLI PLUG turns of my mac’s periferals when I switch the computer off.
This multiplug works for any computer by recognising that the computer has been switched off and cutting off the power to everything that’s plugged into it, including my mac. It’s saved on electricity already!
Hey… It’s one of the laziest ways I’ve come accross of saving electricity :) No more delving under the desk to flick socket switch to off!!
The only pity is, I don’t think one exists for TVs and their periferals yet. But that socket’s more accessible so it’s not too bad.
23 Aug 2007
Must get an INTELLIPLUG, because otherwise there seem to be umpteen peripherals needing to switched off. TV set is safer if completely of anyway.
05 Sep 2007
My family are just about getting used to waiting for the Sky TV channel to ‘warm up’ when they turn the TV on at the wall.. its a good way for my impatient 7 year old to actually learn to wait… and be patient. He seesm to appreciate we are trying to save resources…(hopefully). It feels good to turn things off properly and I am looking forward to a slightly smaller electricity bill next time round.
29 Aug 2008
Hi everybody, I recently stayed at my friend house for a few days and he is very strict about turning switches off when not in use.
Regardless of whether a plug is in it or not. He claims that it just being switched on uses electric, however he always puts the Tv on standby before he goes to sleep. Can anyone tell me if he is right or wrong, as he’s a hypocrite.
Many thanks.
Darwen, GB , 12 Jan 2009
TV is now fitted with an adapter plug that is designed to switch off computer peripherals. So when the TV is switched off at the switch the adapter plug turns off the DVD player and the cable TV box. Ok so it takes a little time for the devices to set themselves up when TV is switched back on but hey its saving me a little bit of money and if enough of us do it maybe the planet too.
I’ve also ditched the video recorder, well actually it’s stored on top of the wardrobe. I really ought to give it away along with the video tapes.