If you prefer to always view the website in English, please click here.

Phantom consumption costs you 5 euros per month

Most electronic devices continue consuming energy when they are plugged in or on stand-by. This “phantom consumption” depends on many factors, but can reach 400 kWh per year and is how you throw your money away.

There are several names for it. Phantom consumption, stand-by consumption, silent waste...Whatever you want to call it, it is the electricity that you're consuming (and paying for) without needing it.

They are things that you leave turned on though you may not realise it. How is this possible? For 2 reasons:

1. The red pilot light is ON: in these cases, you know perfectly well that the device is turned on a little bit, otherwise that light (normally red) wouldn’t still be illuminated. This is the stand-by mode, designed to make life more comfortable. The clearest example is the television: instead of getting up and turning off the entire television with the manual switch, you turn it off from a distance with the remote control and allow it to remain on stand-by. What you probably don’t know is that by leaving it like that, you consume practically the same energy as if it were functioning normally.

2. The internal transformer: most devices that are plugged into an electrical current have an internal transformer that generates consumption, even when those devices are OFF. Many don’t have any pilot light that indicates they are on stand-by. They simply continue consuming while they are plugged in, without telling you in any way. The cell phone charger is the best example: you leave it plugged in without any phone connected to it, but your transformer continues to consume electricity (in fact, if you touch it, you’ll notice that it's hot).

“Most devices continue consuming electricity while they are turned on, and don’t even have a pilot light that tells you they're on stand-by.”

The devices that consume most on stand-by

Estimating stand-by consumption is complicated, given that it significantly depends on the model of home appliance used and its energy efficiency, but approximate measurements can be calculated.

We’re not asking you to go crazy. We’re just pointing out the devices that are consuming the most phantom consumption for you and that would be best to entirely turn off when you're not using them.

 

TV decoders

It is one of the elements in your home that consume most on stand-by, particularly if they have a recording system with a hard drive.

They can consume between 41 and 64 kWh per year. This represents an annual cost on your bill of approximately 7 – 10 euros.

 

Laptops

They are one of the electronic devices that we most commonly leave plugged in. Some people leave them constantly plugged in... just in case.

A laptop that is entirely turned off, consumes around 35 kWh per year just by being plugged in, which on your bill can reach up to 6 euros.

 

Mini music systems

Music equipment is similar to laptops. Consumption is around 53 kWh and take around 9 euros per year out of your pocket.

 

Televisions

As we said above, having the television on stand-by during its entire useful life is a classic.

A 32-inch CRT monitor can spend up to 53 kWh per year on stand-by (about 9 euros), while a 37-inch LED monitor reduces this consumption to 18 kWh per year (less than 3 euros).

A 42-inch plasma television has a phantom consumption of 26 kWh per year, which on your bill translates into approximately 4.5 euros.

Keep in mind that the old rear projection monitors consume more than the current flat screens.

 

Microwaves

This home appliance has a phantom consumption that reaches 35 kWh per year. For that reason, you must be careful to leave it turned off when you're not using it, given that you can save up to 6 euros per year.

 

How much phantom consumption costs you

Estimating the cost of phantom consumption on your bill is complicated, given that the price of the kWh entirely depends on your electricity tariff, but we can calculate averages inspired by the reality of the market.

If we add it all up, just with the aforementioned devices that are present in most homes, we get a total of approximately 377 kWh. By turning them off, you can save up to 64 euros per year—more than 5 euros per month.

We could also expand the previous list to include wireless telephones (around 6 euros per year), the coffee maker (7.45 euros per year) and video game consoles (practically 6 euros per year). Interestingly, of all the things you have at home, cell phone chargers consume the least in phantom mode. Still, you should unplug them if you’re not using them, even if it’s just for the sake of safety.

“Despite the rumours, cell phone chargers barely consume electricity on stand-by mode.”

What to do to avoid phantom consumption

Cutting the root with stand-by consumption is tremendously simple. You just need to follow these three tips and start to think about how you're going to spend those 5 euros per month that you’ll save every month:

1. Unplug the device: it’s not enough to turn it off, if it is still plugged into the grid, it can continue to consume.

2. Unplug the power source: sometimes, for example with laptops, the device can be one entity and the power source another. If you unplug the laptop but leave its transformer plugged in...you haven't done anything.

3. Put a power strip with a switch on your life: one or several, as many as are necessary. Instead of unplugging devices one by one, it will make it easier to disconnect them all at the same time whenever you leave the house or go to sleep.

“Phantom or stand-by consumption may cost you 64 euros per year. Instead of throwing away that money, remember to unplug whatever you're not using.”

Spend a minute to find the product which best adapts to you:

{{firstStep.title}}

We are finding the right energy for you...

We are finding the right energy for you...

advise icon go to the advise Facebook icon go to Facebook Twitter icon go to Twitter Youtube icon go to Youtube Messenger icon go to Messenger Linkedin icon go to Linkedin Instagram icon go to Instagram Shared Link icon Go to the shared link Checkmark Success icon Checkmark Success down arrow icon down arrow Previous Go to previous Next Go to the next close icon close add icon add up arrow icon up arrow oblique arrow icon look obliquely Arrow down icon Arrow down search engine icon search search engine icon search share icon share filter icon filter email icon send mail email icon email phone icon phone fax icon fac print icon print play icon play user icon go to the user section error icon an error has occurred info icon information thumb up icon like thumb up icon like thumb down icon don't like thumb down icon don't like clock icon Clock Lamp icon Lamp List icon List Map icon Go to the map Phone icon Phone Emergency icon Emergency Pause icon Pause Play icon Play Logout icon Sign off Phone icon Phone
go back icon go back in navigation number 50 icon go to product Tempo Happy 50 Horas calendar icon go to product Tempo Happy Día companies icon go to the business segment gas icon go to gas product catalog rising sun icon go to Tempo Verde-Renewable Energy product home icon go to the household segment 24 hours icon go to One Luz product electricity icon go to Luz's product catalog electricity and gas icon go to the Luz + Gas product catalog moon icon go to product One night light monkey wrench icon go to breakdowns and repairs sun icon go to Tempo Solar product clock icon go to Tempo Happy products 2 hour clock icon go to Tempo Happy 2 Hours product 24 hours icon go to product One Luz number 50 icon go to product Tempo Happy 50 Hours Medium Voltage power line See product catalog with electricity consumption from € 36,000 to € 360,000 / year High Voltage power line See catalog of products with electricity consumption more than € 360,000 / year company icon go to the business segment calendar icon go to product Tempo Happy Day Property management firms icon go to the Property management firms DarkSite icon DarkSite icon light bulb icon See product catalog with electricity consumption less than € 6,000 / year electricity and gas icon go to the Electricity+ Gas Products catalog electricity icon go to the electrical products catalog email icon email contact fax icon fax contact Low Pressure gas icon see catalog of gas products with consumption of less than € 6,000 / year High Pressure gas icon see catalog of gas products with consumption from € 6,000 to € 240,000 / year Medium Pressure gas icon see catalog of gas products with consumption of more than € 240,000 / year gas icon go to gas product catalog Enel icon go to the enel website heater icon heater maintenance service heater maintenance icon go to maintenance service OKGas Heater home icon go to the household segment pressure cooker icon pressure cooker monkey wrench icon go to breakdowns and repairs Medium Voltage power line icon see catalog of electricity products with consumption from € 6,000 to € 36,000 / year moon icon go to product One Night Light sphere icon go to personal website phone icon telephone contact rising sun icon go to Tempo Verde-Renewable Energy product solar panel icon go to photovoltaic solar energy clock icon go to Tempo Happy products black handyman icon with thumb down selected the reaction "I don't like it" little hand icon with thumb down select the reaction "I don't like it" black hand icon with thumb up selected the "like" reaction little hand icon with thumb up select the "like" reaction
Añadir otro equipo eléctrico Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipisicing elit. Eliminar equipo eléctrico Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipisicing elit. Aspiradora Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipisicing elit. Horno Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipisicing elit. Lavadora Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipisicing elit. Lavavajillas Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipisicing elit. Microondas Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipisicing elit. Plancha Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipisicing elit. Punto de recarga vehículo eléctrico Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipisicing elit. Radiador eléctrico Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipisicing elit. Secadora Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipisicing elit. Split Aire Acondicionado Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipisicing elit. Termo Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipisicing elit. Tostador Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipisicing elit. Vitrocerámica Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipisicing elit. Power edit Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipisicing elit. Map marker Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipisicing elit.