Are Your Appliances Wasting Money On Standby?

Not long ago, I remember watching an advert in which we were being encouraged to save energy. It mentioned that if you were to unplug your TV at night, instead of leaving it on standby, you could save about £40 per annum. I was amazed that it could cost so much. Electricity companies must have had a huge increase in consumption with the introduction of "standby" mode, which was never an option when I was little. The TV then would be on or off and – egad! – there was no such thing as a remote! It was tough in those days, having to get up to change the channel …

If unplugging the TV can save £40 a year, it made me wonder how many other electrical appliances our family leaves on unnecessarily, which were costing us needlessly. A quick Google brought up many interesting articles, in one of which an enterprising individual had compiled a helpful chart, showing electricity costs for a variety of items. You can find this information here.

Meanwhile, I have been inspired to go in search of a watt meter, the better to educate members of our household to unplug, unplug, unplug. I wonder how much can be saved by the end of the year?