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Re-activateMany of our home appliances and other electrical products continue to draw power even after they're turned off. In fact, according to the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, this "standby power" accounts for an estimated 8 percent of U.S. household electricity use. The average household tab for that comes to roughly $80 per year. Here's how to identify products in your home that could be drawing standby power and some practical ways to reduce it.
Identify which products in your home are drawing standby power. Refer to the table below, which also details how much energy and money you could save by reducing standby power:
Then, decide if it makes sense to unplug it. Unplugging devices that draw power when they're not in use can help trim your electricity use. However, it might not be practical to unplug some products, such as the set-top box on a TV, and others with digital displays because they require reprogramming each time they're plugged back in. Once you've decided which devices to unplug, you can save time by plugging items located near one another into a power strip or surge protector that can be turned off with a single switch (even if switched off, surge protectors still protect against power spikes when plugged in).
| Look for | Examples | Power used in standby mode | Potential annual energy savings (kilowatt hours)* | Potential annual savings* |
| External power supply | Cell-phone chargers, computer peripherals | 3–10 watts | 18–58 kWh | $1.94–$6.26 |
| Built-in rechargeable batteries | Cordless telephones | 3–10 watts | 18–58 kWh | $1.94–$6.26 |
| Remote-control devices | TVs, VCRs, ceiling fans, audio equipment | 5–25 watts | 29–146 kWh | $3.13–$15.77 |
| Continuous digital displays | Washing machine, microwave ovens, VCRs, TV set-top boxes | 10–25 watts | 58–146 kWh | $6.26–$15.77 |
| Products that feel warm even when turned off | DVRs, TV set-top boxes | 10–30 watts | 58–175 kWh | $6.26–$18.90 |
| Products you might leave on when unneeded | Accent lighting, fans, computer printers and scanners | 5–50 watts | 29–292 kWh | $3.13–$31.54 |
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