Standby Power Calculator
Enter your always-on standby load in watts, hours per day and your electricity price. The calculator prices the year of idle drain - the set-top boxes, consoles, routers and chargers that never truly sleep.
Energy sites warn about vampire power and stop. This one turns it into an annual figure you can feel, lists the usual suspects, and gives the two-minute meter hunt that finds which devices confess by being warm.
How to use
- Guess or measure: a plug-in power meter gives the real household figure in minutes (30-60 W is typical).
- Enter hours actually left powered - 24 for the always-on cluster, fewer if leads get switched.
- Read the yearly figure, then the per-day one: that is what the red light on the set-top box really costs.
Frequently asked questions
How much does standby power cost per year?
A 45-watt always-on load at typical prices runs near 120 a year - comparable to the entire lighting bill of an LED home. Half the household typically idles at 30-60 watts across boxes, consoles, routers and chargers.
Which devices waste the most standby power?
The warm-when-off club: set-top boxes and game consoles in instant-on mode lead, followed by old amplifiers, desktop towers left on, and anything with a brick that hums. The router stays - it earns its idle.
How do I find vampire devices?
A plug-in power meter answers per device; the free version is the palm test - anything warm when off is drawing current. The whole-house version is the same overnight meter test used for water leaks, done at the electricity meter.
Do smart plugs stop standby waste?
Switchable extension leads and smart plugs work well for switchable clusters - the entertainment centre dies in one gesture. Leave the router, fridge-freezer and anything with recordings or updates on its own schedule.