If you never switch off appliances, leave your laptop charger constantly plugged into the wall and always refill your smartphone battery overnight it might be time to change your evening routine. Millions of us aren’t killing the power to devices when we head to bed and that could be bad news for energy bills along with reducing the longevity of these expensive products.
This latest update about switching things off has come from the team at Signal & Power who reckon not pulling the plug is costing consumers. For example, only refilling your smartphone when needed and not leaving it on charge throughout the night could save £10 per year.
Meanwhile, switching off those 4K TVs, personal PCs and gaming consoles – such as the Xbox and PlayStation – can reduce things by a whopping £60 a year.
There’s also good advice for anyone with a laptop as leaving the power brick plugged in – even when not charging the PC – can still cost you.
“Laptop chargers can draw a small amount of power even when not connected to a laptop. Overheating or malfunctioning can also be a fire hazard. Unplugging could save £5-£10,” said Jae Ro an expert at Plug Specialists, Signal & Power.
It’s not just about making instant savings. Never switching things off can increase the chances of hazards and keep products in better condition for longer. This even includes kettles and coffee machines.
“Many coffee makers have a small internal heater that consumes electricity even when the machine is off,” Ro added. “Faulty components can also lead to a fire hazard. If you unplug them at night you could save around £10-£15 per year. Unplugging can also help protect them from power surges or fluctuations, extending their lifespan”
“Kettles can also draw a small amount of electricity to keep the water warm if they have a keep-warm function. Overheating or malfunctioning can also be a fire hazard. Unplugging could save you £5-£10 per year. Always unplug by grasping the plug itself and not the cord to avoid damaging the cord too.”
If you can be bothered to walk through your home turning everything off then it’s worth following this advice – just make sure you never hit the power button on your router.
This flashing black box needs to run 24 hours a day 7 days a week if you don’t want any issues with your broadband. Firstly, Internet Service Providers usually push out vital updates overnight and these won’t be installed if things are off.
Constantly switching things off and on again can also fool your ISP into thinking that there’s a problem with your line.
Some firms may then put emergency speed restrictions in place so you don’t go offline.
“Constantly switching off the hub makes the line look unstable, meaning that your speed may be automatically reduced to improve the reliability of your broadband connection,” BT explains on its help pages.
