One UK household wastes £45–£80 a year powering devices that are switched off
Every year, UK homes spend money on electricity that does no useful work. Devices left plugged in and switched off still draw power. Ofgem’s 2026 typical-use figures show that standby power accounts for 9–16% of a home’s annual electricity consumption (Ofgem, 2026). The Energy Saving Trust estimates the average standby drain at 1,200–1,600 kWh per home per year (Energy Saving Trust, 2026).
This waste costs between £45 and £80 a year for the typical household. The exact figure depends on how many devices you own and how long they stay plugged in. Most homes have at least ten devices in standby at any one time.
The quick numbers what standby costs per appliance per year
The table below shows typical standby wattages, annual energy use, and cost at the January–March 2026 Ofgem price cap of 28p per kWh (Ofgem, 2026). Wattage ranges come from the Energy Saving Trust’s 2026 standby power guide (Energy Saving Trust, 2026).
| Appliance | Typical standby wattage (W) | Annual standby kWh | Annual cost at 28p/kWh |
|---|---|---|---|
| TV and set-top box (combined) | 15–30 | 131–263 | £37–£74 |
| Games console (instant-on mode) | 15–30 | 131–263 | £37–£74 |
| Smart speaker | 2–4 | 18–35 | £5–£10 |
| Laptop charger (plugged, not charging) | 1–3 | 9–26 | £3–£7 |
| Microwave clock | 1–2 | 9–18 | £3–£5 |
| Printer (idle) | 3–5 | 26–44 | £7–£12 |
| Phone charger (plugged, no phone) | 0.1–0.5 | 1–4 | £0.30–£1.20 |
These are typical figures. Your actual costs will vary with your specific devices and how long they stay in standby.
How to measure your own standby waste in under 30 minutes
You can measure your own standby power with a plug-in power monitor. These cost £10–£15 to buy, or you can borrow one from a local library through a “library of things” scheme (Energy Saving Trust, 2026).
Follow these steps. First, unplug all devices from the socket. Second, plug one device into the power monitor, then plug the monitor into the wall. Third, switch the device to its “off” state and read the wattage on the monitor’s display. Write down the number. Repeat for each device in your home.
Most power monitors show watts in real time. A reading of 10W means the device uses 10 watt-hours every hour it is in standby. Multiply that by 8,760 hours in a year and divide by 1,000 to get annual kWh. Multiply by your electricity rate to get the annual cost.
This method takes about 30 minutes for a typical home with ten devices. It gives you exact figures rather than estimates.
Which devices are the worst offenders for silent energy drain
Set-top boxes from Sky, Virgin Media, and Freeview are the single biggest standby drain in most homes. They draw 10–30W even when switched off (Energy Saving Trust, 2026). Many of these boxes cannot be fully turned off without unplugging them.
Games consoles in “instant-on” or “standby” mode consume 15–30W when they appear to be off. This mode keeps the console ready to download updates and start quickly. Switching to “energy-saving” mode cuts this to 1–5W.
Older televisions made before 2020 use 5–8W on standby. Newer models, which comply with the EU Ecodesign Directive, use 0.5–1.5W (Energy Saving Trust, 2026). If your TV is more than six years old, replacing it could cut standby waste by 80% or more.
Smart speakers, printers, and microwave clocks are smaller drains but still add up across a whole home. A single smart speaker costs £5–£10 a year. Three speakers cost £15–£30.
The one change that cuts standby waste by 80% in a typical home
Install a smart power strip on the cluster of devices around your TV. A smart strip cuts power to peripherals when the master device, usually the TV, is switched off (Energy Saving Trust, 2026). This stops the set-top box, soundbar, and games console from drawing power when the TV is not in use.
A Wi-Fi or Zigbee smart plug with scheduling can cut overnight standby on a console or router. Set the plug to turn off at 11pm and on at 7am. This stops the device drawing power for eight hours every night.
These two changes together cut standby waste by roughly 80% in a typical home. The equipment costs £15–£40 and pays for itself within a year.
smart home energy savings guide
Eligibility and certification how to verify a smart-home installer or electrician
For plug-and-play products like smart plugs and power strips, no certification is needed. You buy them, plug them in, and set them up yourself. Smart plugs sold in the UK must carry a CE or UKCA mark and comply with BS 1363 for plug and socket safety (GOV.UK, 2026).
For hardwired solutions, such as a master switch installed on a ring main or a dedicated circuit for standby control, you must use a registered electrician. Look for NICEIC or NAPIT registration on the public register (NICEIC, 2026). Unregistered work can invalidate your home insurance and may not comply with Part P of the Building Regulations.
Most homes do not need hardwired solutions. Smart plugs and power strips work for the vast majority of standby-waste problems.
Does switching off at the socket save enough to justify the hassle
Switching off a TV and set-top box at the socket saves £25–£35 per year for that cluster alone (Energy Saving Trust, 2026). Switching off a games console saves £15–£25 per year. These savings justify the effort of reaching behind furniture or using a smart plug.
For a microwave clock, which draws 1–2W, the saving is only £1–£2 per year. That is not worth the hassle of resetting the clock every time you cook. Phone chargers left plugged in with no phone attached cost less than £1.50 per year. The effort of unplugging them is not justified on cost grounds alone.
A smart plug costing £10–£20 pays for itself in 6–12 months when used on a TV and console cluster (Energy Saving Trust, 2026). After that, the savings are pure gain.
The 2026 grant and tax-angle on standby-reduction kit
The Energy Company Obligation (ECO4) scheme does not directly cover smart plugs or power strips (DESNZ, 2026). However, some local council “warm home” grants include free smart strips for low-income households. Contact your local council to check eligibility.
VAT on energy-saving materials, including smart plugs and power strips, is 0% until March 2027 (GOV.UK, 2026). Glazing is standard-rated for VAT at 20%. The zero rate for energy-saving materials covers insulation, heat pumps and solar panels; HMRC names secondary and double glazing as excluded (VAT Notice 708/6). Glazing is standard-rated for VAT at 20%, so a quote showing 20% VAT is correct and should not be challenged. HMRC names secondary and double glazing as excluded from the energy-saving materials zero rate (VAT Notice 708/6).
Standby-reduction kit is one of the cheapest energy-saving measures available. The upfront cost is low, the payback is fast, and no professional installation is needed for most homes.
government grants for home energy efficiency
