Which home appliances use the most energy?

What uses the most energy in a house?

According to some estimates, nearly 40 appliances largely consume the energy of the house. Every year they raise your electricity bills. Also, to optimize this consumption, the Environment and Energy Management Agency (Ademe) emphasizes the importance of unplugging appliances that consume energy unnecessarily. Between us, it makes sense, but we largely neglect this fact. Yet, apart from a few seconds, what do we ultimately lose by disconnecting them?

Want to know which appliances consume the most electricity? Apart from the bigger ones, of course, like the fridge or the freezer. Well, in this list, we find at the top: the television, the audio system, the game console or the computer screen. Note in particular that a TV equipped with LED technology consumes 25% less than LCDs and up to 40% less than plasma screens! Also remember to frequently unplug the electric water heater, washing machine and dishwasher. They also increase this “phantom” consumption. And depending on the model you have, the internet box can consume between 5 and 20 watts of electricity. Namely, the best modern Wi-Fi routers can consume 10 watts on average.

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So, yes, it may seem restrictive to you to have to constantly unplug all these devices. But, you will quickly get into the habit of doing it. At least, failing that, especially take the reflex to disconnect them from the sockets when you go on a trip, for example, or even for a weekend. It would still be nicer to save some money, wouldn’t it? And what about the computer, portable or fixed? You thought it no longer consumed electricity once turned off? Think again. As long as it stays plugged in, you’re still wasting energy unnecessarily.

Does a plugged-in charger consume energy?

The difference will not be very noticeable over a month or two. But, after a while, if you keep your phone chargers connected permanently, without even using them, it will be felt in the bill.

Concretely, these chargers are equipped with several integrated circuits with an internal copper coil that transfers the residual current that a mobile requires (the chargers even convert alternating electricity). Therefore, even when removing your Smartphone, the circuit is not completely disconnected from the socket. Result: Your charger is still consuming energy. So try to have the reflex to systematically remove it from the socket when you no longer need it.

What are the risks of leaving a charger plugged in?

Moreover, apart from wasting energy, you take a risk by leaving your chargers plugged in continuously. For what ? Imagine that they are defective or of very poor quality. There is no guarantee that no short circuit can be triggered unexpectedly, during the night or when you are on vacation. If the internal components are damaged, and not visible, the risk of sparks is high.

In the worst case, this can even lead to a fire. In particular due to the overheating caused with the contact of the socket. And as long as there are flammable objects nearby, it’s guaranteed drama. So no matter what, to avoid all that stress, there’s no better way than getting into the habit of unplugging all the cables.

Should you unplug all your electrical appliances to save energy?

Yes, it would be much wiser to unplug them from the outlet. In most households, electronic devices consume a lot of energy. And this, even when they are on standby or downright off. This is particularly the case for televisions, computers, printers and audio devices.

And, if you want to avoid a sudden power cut, it would also be wiser not to leave them all plugged in at the same time, especially when they are not in use. Important point: by unplugging them, you even prolong their lifespan. It’s worth thinking about, right?

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Should I leave the television on standby or turn it off?

Turn off the television – Source: spm

So, of course, most TVs update their software overnight, when they’re not in use. So, yes, you might miss essential updates if your TV isn’t on standby. Note that some of them do not even allow to be turned off completely from the switch or the remote control. For such devices, the only way to turn them off completely would be to unplug them from power outlets.

We can imagine that this is not always practical, especially since the socket is often at the back, difficult to access. But, as suggested above, do it at least when you leave the house for several days.

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