Most households have a large number of electrical appliances that are always on. These devices are normally used on a daily basis. However, for practical reasons, we usually also leave other devices connected. The point is that some don’t cause any problems. Another yes. Keeping all your devices connected is convenient, but that convenience comes at a price. So outside the kitchen these are the devices that increase the electricity bill.
These are the devices that increase the electricity bill!
Electrical appliances usually always use small amounts of energy, regardless of whether they are turned on or off. So depending on how many devices we have, it is possible that we are paying around 10 or 20 more Euros per month to feed these energy vampires.
While using less power is the main reason to turn things off, there’s also the issue of spikes. It is normal to have small surges of energy that can even cause amounts of damage.
Many electrical appliances should not even be switched on for long periods. For example, battery-powered devices such as smartphones and laptops should only be turned on to charge. If left on longer, it may reduce battery life. That’s why you shouldn’t charge these devices all the time.
Does all equipment use power even when turned off?
A proof of this are the standby lights that are present in many devices. They show that energy is being used, not least because these devices are always ready to boot. In addition, some devices have screens that are always on and use energy regardless of whether they are being used. Others that appear to be off are actually in standby mode. even when turned off. That is, in general, we can say that today’s large devices are always consuming energy.
What devices should we really unplug to save on the electricity bill?
There are equipment that, due to their characteristics, must be disconnected from the socket or at least connected to those extensions with an on and off button. Let’s mention the main ones.
Right from the start, we start with the most common device in the Portuguese house, the TV. Most modern televisions have standby lights that use power whenever they are on. Devices connected to it, such as boxes and multimedia players, must also be turned off for the same reason.
The same goes for sound equipment. In fact Hi-Fi devices tend to have multiple standby lights. Any system that can be connected via Wi-Fi or Bluetooth can also be using electricity all the time. This is to be always ready to work.
The case is the same for computers and their peripherals. They all have standby lights. A computer in sleep mode also uses more power than when turned off.
But there are more examples. So many people charge their electronic devices at night, which is not recommended. Leaving your devices on overnight not only uses electricity unnecessarily, it’s also bad for battery life.
Small kitchen appliances are also no exception. Many of them tend to have digital screens and/or standby lights.
How to easily turn off these devices
Turning devices on and off every day isn’t very convenient, but you can make the process easier by using switch extension cords or smart plugs.
Extensions with switch
Extension cords are more practical and primarily designed to allow you to plug in more devices to a single outlet and turn everything off with a single switch. This makes them ideal if you have multiple devices to unplug each night. Some also include timers so you can turn them off automatically.
smart tokens
Meanwhile, we can connect the smart plugs to other smart home products or use them independently. To save energy, they automatically turn off devices using a timer or via smartphone.
So by making some adjustments you will be able to reduce the light bill.
