Householders waste €35m of energy on ‘standby’

IRISH consumers are wasting up to €35 million worth of energy annually by leaving appliances on standby when not in use.

TVs, DVD players, stereos, computers and microwaves are consuming vast amounts of energy when they are not fully turned off and leaving them on is costing the average household up to €40 annually.

Sustainable Energy Ireland (SEI) has revealed that appliances left on standby are wasting 30 watts of electricity every hour, which over a year equates to the same amount of energy as 220 loads in the washing machine.