Standby
When a computer, a television or a radio is on standby mode it still consumes energy, and a surprising amount of energy given that the appliance is not in use and supposedly ‘at rest’. The energy needed to power the various products on standby, can increase household bills by a considerable amount over a year. The EU has decided to set efficiency standards for standby on all products. The aim is to shift from the current standby modes to more technologically advanced ‘passive standby’ and ‘off’ modes that achieve the lowest possible energy consumption levels, eventually moving towards a consumption of 0 Watts.
- Bad standby: wasting dozens of Watts by doing nothing, leaving unused functionalities on and/or remaining connected to networks without clear necessity.
- Smart standby: consuming nearly 0 Watt and leaving the user happy!
- Even smarter: products that we can switched off completely through a hard switch or a multiple plug with a switch.
Further reading:
-
Tips for consumers on cutting stand-by waste.
-Find out more about the EU process on our
expert pages.
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Guidelines for SMEs from the European Commission.