How to use less electricity Technology and standby
Entertainment, computers and gadgets will account for 45% of the electricity used in the home by 2020.
Unlike white goods, such as washing machines and fridges, which are rated for energy efficiency, there’s little information on other electronics goods' efficiency – except for Which? tests, of course.
Which? measures the energy consumption of many products and sometimes finds huge differences between the best and worst performers. Our tests on LCD and plasma TVs are a good example. An energy-efficient 32-inch LCD model with energy-saving features switched on can easily cost £65 less a year to run than a typical 42-inch plasma with energy-saving features switched off (based on five viewing hours a day).
Standby
One of the easiest ways to save electricity is to switch gadgets off when you’re not using them.
The tables below show the typical energy use of common household electronics in standby mode. A typical combination of these products left on standby could cost you almost £35 a year.
TVs
The Energy Saving Trust recommends that a TV's power consumption should be below 1.5 watts in standby. Most new TVs now meet this standard.
DVD players
| How much energy standby mode uses | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Equipment | Rating | Standby power consumption (W) | Annual standby cost |
 DVD players | Bad | 6.10 | £4.58 |
| Average | 1.80 | £1.35 | |
| Good | 0.10 | £0.08 | |
DVD recorders
| How much energy standby mode uses | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Equipment | Rating | Standby power consumption (W) | Annual standby cost |
 DVD recorders | Bad | 20.20 | £15.15 |
| Average | 6.50 | £5.48 | |
| Good | 1.50 | £1.13 | |
Freeview set-top boxes
| How much energy standby mode uses | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Equipment | Rating | Standby power consumption (W) | Annual standby cost |
 Freeview set-top boxes | Bad | 14.10 | £10.58 |
| Average | 3.50 | £2.63 | |
| Good | 0.80 | £0.60 | |
Most freeview set-top boxes don’t have proper on/off switches. This is because it's convenient to have the box in standby to pick up over-the-air software updates (which add functionality to the box, improve the EPG and so on). You can get round this by keeping an eye on the Digital TV Group website or manufacturer's websites. They provide a schedule of updates, so in the meantime you can switch your box off (at the mains if it doesn’t have an off button) without the fear of missing out.
Of course you could save energy by buying an TV with built-in Freeview – one less box. TVs use less power in standby, and they usually come with an ‘off’ button.
Sky+
The Sky+ PVR doesn’t have a proper switch – to save wear on the hard drive, the standby mode doesn't switch it off. There’s not much you can do about this.
More on cutting energy costs...
- Expert tips to reduce your heating bill
- How to save electricity in the kitchen
- Read our guide to energy labels
