Ask Focus on Energy

The watts used by appliances in standby varies.

The watts used by different appliances & electronics in standby mode varies widely from model to model, but we can point you to a few sources where you can find additional information.
• General information: The American Council for an Energy Efficient Economy (ACEEE) has a table of common electronic equipment and the average energy used in each mode and per year.
• Game consoles: Check Focus’ Reducing Appliance Energy Use fact sheet, there is some information on page 4.
• Televisions: ENERGY STAR’s qualified product list includes the watts used by different TV’s in sleep mode (on the ‘Television Resources’ menu on the right, click the Excel option for qualified televisions).

Using a watt meter is a fun way to find out how much electricity your home appliances and electronics consume. (A watt meter is an electronic instrument that measures the power (watts) used by devices. When you plug the meter into the appliance, you can measure how much electricity your appliances/electronics are using and what they are costing you.) Plug the watt meter into an outlet, and then plug a device into the watt meter. Try it with the device on, then turn it off to see the difference—and to catch a glimpse of "standby power” at work! Visit your local library to see if they have a watt meter you can borrow (or consider purchasing a kill-a-watt meter).

For more tips on when to turn electronics off and using power strips, visit the U.S. Department of Energy’s Energy Saver Web site.

And, if you’re searching for new electronic products – look for ones with the ENERGY STAR! Products that have earned the ENERGY STAR use less energy to perform functions (even in “standby” mode), while providing the same performance and features as conventional models.