“Things have improved dramatically since these studies were first conducted,” said Craig Melson, deputy director of climate, environment and sustainability at techUK. “Processors are low power, screens have been changed from LCD to LED technology, refrigerators and washing machines have become more efficient. “Technology is just more miniature, more efficient, using better processors – and, most importantly, more adaptable.” Subscribe to the First Edition, our free daily newsletter – every morning at 7am A recent British Gas report claimed that “the British could save an average of £ 110 per household per year by simply pressing a switch”. The energy provider said 23% of UK energy bills were caused by “electronic vampires, those who continue to run out of energy when on standby”. But that statistic came from a 2015 report by the U.S. National Defense Research Council, based on a California home analysis. “Think of the laptop you used 10 years ago,” says Melson. In general, now you can just connect them directly to USB-C: this is much more energy efficient and you do not need to draw power. “ In addition to the age of seven and based on the energy of another country, consumers may find it difficult to make some of the suggested savings: one third of the “always active” electronics found in the study are “recycling pumps, fish tanks, aquariums” and protected sockets in bathrooms, kitchens and garages. ” Consumers who turn off their aquarium at night can save money, but their fish may object. Other devices included in the 23% remain active because they are designed to run continuously: wifi routers and electric space heaters or air conditioners increase the electricity used by a home, but provide benefits while doing so. Most importantly, Melson notes, American consumers are not covered by a series of European regulations that have cut electricity consumption for British consumers. He said: “The Ecodesign Directive, the European regulation, has led to design changes throughout the industry. “It is much more regulated and business practices have evolved.” The US report, which first found 23%, even outlines the benefits of European regulation: “The European model addresses much of the idle load issue highlighted in this study,” say US researchers. Other claims of “vampire devices” go even further. In October, the UK Energy Saving Trust claimed a modest saving of £ 35 from switching off devices in standby mode each year, citing a 2013 report that itself represented the use of device power, including a VCR, which was largely shut down in 2004 and a PlayStation 2. first built in 2000. For consumers who want to save electricity, Melson says, a better focus is to look at “eco mode” settings on devices such as TVs and game consoles, disabling features such as automatic updates to further reduce standby time. British Gas did not respond to a request for comment.
