How to detect and eliminate standby consumption?

Between standby lights and connected devices, a significant amount of your energy evaporates needlessly every day. These invisible enemies nibble away at your savings without you even realising it. Discover how to track down this 'phantom' consumption and neutralise it.

Many electrical devices consume power even when you're not using them. Think about your TV set left on standby for convenience, smartphone chargers or even your electric toothbrush.

Just some of the equipment that's always plugged in and consuming power without your knowledge. This consumption is often low, but it can quickly add up if you own several such devices. Every watt of standby consumption costs you nearly 3 euros a year. So there are significant savings to be made.

A quick note

We are only talking about appliances in “standby mode” here. This doesn’t include devices that need to stay on all the time to work properly, such as your fridge or your broadband modem/router.

How much does standby consumption cost?

It has long been assumed that standby power consumption accounted for around 10% of a household’s electricity bill. Whilst this figure has made a lasting impression, it now needs to be put into perspective.

Nowadays, standby power consumption accounts for between 5% and 8% of a household’s annual energy use (according to the IEA’s efficiency analyses and the European Commission’s targets).

For an average Belgian household (consumption of 2,750 kWh/year), this amounts to between 140 and 220 kWh per year, representing a hidden cost of €48 to €75 (based on an average ‘all-inclusive’ price of €0.34/kWh in force in March 2026).

Why has there been ‘so little’ progress?

One might expect a much more dramatic reduction. Indeed, thanks to European Ecodesign standards, standby power consumption (that little red LED on your TV or coffee machine) has been reduced tenfold over the last 15 years, often falling below the 0.5-watt threshold per appliance.

But this saving is largely masked by 2 factors:

The increase in the number of devices: We own more and more devices that remain switched on.
The emergence of network standby: This is the new form of standby. It applies to ‘smart’ devices (connected speakers, Wi-Fi bulbs, thermostats) that remain active to respond to a voice command or an app. This standby mode consumes more energy than traditional standby because the device must maintain its connection to the network.

Note on the figures

Although suppliers often use a baseline of 3,500 kWh for their comparisons, the actual average in Belgium is currently closer to 2,750 kWh.

Unexpected benefits

In addition to making savings, eliminating standby consumption offers several benefits.

It reduces your environmental impact. By reducing your unnecessary electricity consumption, you limit the CO2 emissions related to electricity production.
It extends the lifespan of your devices. Constantly leaving them in standby can wear them out prematurely. Turning them off helps to preserve them.
It gives you peace of mind. Knowing which devices are consuming power unnecessarily will help you avoid unpleasant surprises on your bills.

How to detect standby consumption?

With a standard power meter

To detect standby consumption, you simply need a power or energy meter. This device costs between 15 and 20 euros and enables you to measure the electrical power drawn by a device at any time.

Plug it into the socket and then connect the power meter to the device whose consumption you want to measure. The power meter gives the real-time consumption along with the total consumption over a defined measurement period.

It is advisable to measure the standby consumption of a device throughout the night. Multiply this consumption by 365, then by the electricity tariff. This will give you the exact annual standby consumption of the device. Consider testing the power adapters of some devices too.

With a smart power meter

There are also smart power meters that enable you to monitor all your electrical devices in one place, on a smartphone, tablet or computer.

Some models also allow you to programme scenarios to reduce your electricity bill, such as automatically turning off certain devices.

With a smart meter

If you have a smart meter, you can also track your electricity consumption in real-time, without any investment. Simply consult the display code 1.7.0 on the smart meter screen to find out your consumption at that precise moment.

There are also energy management systems that can give you more detailed information about your energy consumption per device and your overall consumption, using an app or an online portal.

Which devices consume the most in standby?

Here are the devices to examine first to detect standby consumption in your home:

TV box	18 euros / year
Desktop computer + monitor	8 euros / year
Game console	2,5 euros / year
Television (modern)	1,5 euros / year

Sources : Data based on the thresholds set out in the European Ecodesign Regulation 2023/826, IEA efficiency reports and average consumption figures for office and leisure equipment (2025–2026).

How to eliminate standby consumption?

Once you've identified the devices that are consuming a lot of energy in standby, you must put an end to this unnecessary consumption.

Unplug devices or use power strips with an on/off switch for your computer peripherals or smartphone charger.
Choose power-saving sockets for your TV and its peripherals. These cut off the power supply completely as soon as you switch to standby mode.
Choose sockets with a timer for charging a smartphone or electric toothbrush.

The wild card: Plug & Play solar kits

You’ve cut your standby consumption to the bone, but the kWhs are still racking up on your meter? By simply plugging a Plug & Play solar kit into a standard socket, you can offset a significant portion of your baseload. These kits are remarkably cost-effective for this purpose: their modest output perfectly matches the power drawn by various devices that remain switched on.