Are you trying to save money by unplugging? The truth might surprise you

Many consumers think they can save on electricity consumption by turning off their TV completely, but new measurements show that it actually has no significant effect on energy consumption.

A series of test measurements of modern TVs show that they use a maximum of 0.1 watts in standby mode.

This equates to an annual cost that is so low as to be barely measurable.

It can also be even lower, as the measuring equipment has an accuracy of a tenth of a watt.

Power consumption is so low that it has virtually no effect on the electricity bill whether the TV is switched off and plugged in or unplugged.

This means that switching off the TV via the wall socket or power strip does not result in any real power savings.

However, the argument for switching off completely may still be relevant in terms of fire safety, but not when it comes to energy consumption.

Switching off can lead to longer start-up times and higher consumption

There is also a downside to switching off completely.

Smart TVs start up significantly slower from a cold state compared to standby.

While standby allows startup in seconds, a cold startup can take up to half a minute depending on the model.

The extra power used during the longer startup can easily outweigh the minimal savings you would otherwise get by turning off completely.

Consoles can use more in sleep mode

While TVs in general use extremely little power in standby, this isn’t true for all electronic devices.

Gaming consoles like Xbox offer two types of standby.

The power-saving mode uses less than 0.5 watts, while the so-called sleep mode uses 10-15 watts.

In return, the sleep mode offers faster startup, auto-update and remote start capability. The extra power costs approximately 50 crowns annually according to a Finnish estimate.

PlayStation 5 has similar power management options where the user can choose which functions should be active in sleep mode.

This means that you can customize the balance between functionality and energy consumption.