Energy experts have shared the worst device to leave on standby – and it could be adding £30 a year to your electricity bills.
As we navigate through a continuing cost-of-living crisis, reducing our expenditure and energy bills wherever feasible is undoubtedly a priority. Were you aware that certain household appliances, if left on standby, can still draw electricity even when they’re not switched on and in use? Well, they can, but some are worse offenders than others.
Put simply, standby means keeping devices plugged into the power socket whilst the switch stays on. To investigate this further, Express.co.uk consulted five energy specialists to obtain their views on which appliances to never leave on standby. All five specialists identified the same device as “worst energy-sucking device” on standby, and that’s a games console.
Not everybody owns one of these, but if you’re an avid gamer or have children, there’s a good chance you have one or perhaps two game consoles at home, whether it’s a PlayStation or an Xbox.
Regarding keeping them on standby, they function similarly to a TV, requiring a constant energy supply for comparable purposes.
Micah Jackson-Sattler, owner and head electrician of Micah Electric Co., asserted that game consoles are “the worst energy-sucking devices” as they consume electricity even when not in use and “add up to quite a bit of electricity being used”. Energy specialist and general manager of AryCo, Caleb Caviness, observed that he “commonly” sees gaming consoles “raise bills”.
Whilst being on standby may enable the console to wake up faster and download updates whilst not in use, this means that it still remains on when not actively being used.
He said: “These are powerful machines that require a lot of energy to function, which can easily raise an electricity bill over time.”
With years of expertise in electrical and energy usage and owner of Doctor Fix It Plumbing, Heating, Cooling and Electric, Megan Doser claimed that game consoles are “an absolute standout”.
She explained: “Even when not in use, they remain partially active to be quick-resume, to support background processing and network connectivity. Things like cloud save synchronisation, and powered USB ports for charging controllers make them use even more electricity.”
Martyn Fowler, founder of Elite Renewables, agreed, naming games consoles “some of the worst [devices] for standby energy use”.
He warned: “A lot of people leave them in rest mode thinking they’re off, but they’re still downloading updates, charging controllers and staying connected.
“On average, they use around 10 to 15 watts in standby. That could add £30 a year to your bill without you realising. The best thing to do is shut them down fully in the settings and switch off the plug.”
Nick Barber, co-founder at Prepaid Electricity and Utilities Now, pointed out that gaming consoles, such as PlayStation and Xbox, are “among the devices that consume the most power”, even when they appear to be turned off.
He emphasised that “the best thing to do” if you’re not using the gaming console is to unplug it or set it to a true turn-off mode.
