Standby Power: Which Appliances Cost the Most to Leave On?

Standby power charges vary by appliance, but entertainment systems (game consoles, soundbars, subwoofers), pay TV boxes, printers and always-on routers typically waste the most, often drawing power around the clock even when switched "off". Older televisions, idle pool pumps and networked office gear can also add noticeable dollars to a quarterly bill without anyone using them.

What Is Standby Power, and Why Does It Add Up?

Standby power (sometimes called phantom load or vampire power) is the electricity an appliance draws while it's plugged in but not actively being used. It keeps clocks running, remote sensors alert, Wi-Fi modules connected, and capacitors charged so the device can switch on instantly. On its own, one appliance in standby might only cost a few cents a week. The problem is scale — the average Australian home has dozens of devices plugged in permanently, and those small draws run 24 hours a day, 365 days a year.

How Standby Power Is Measured

Standby draw is usually measured in watts (W), and even a small continuous load adds up over a billing cycle. A device drawing a modest number of watts around the clock for three months can end up costing more than an appliance you use for an hour a day. That's simply because of how much time it spends switched on. The only reliable way to know what any specific appliance in your home is drawing is to measure it directly, because standby consumption varies between brands, models and even firmware versions.

Why It's Hard to Guess From the Outside

You can't tell how much standby power something uses just by looking at it. A slim modern TV might draw less in standby than an older set-top box with a permanently lit LED display. This is why guides that list generic "typical" wattages for appliances should be treated as rough indicators only — your actual bill depends on your specific gear, so measuring is more useful than assuming.

The Worst Standby Power Culprits in Australian Homes

Entertainment and Gaming Setups

Home theatre systems are frequent offenders because they're made up of several always-connected components: the TV, soundbar or AV receiver, subwoofer, game console, and streaming box. Game consoles left in "instant on" or rest mode so they can install updates overnight are a common source of ongoing draw. So are subwoofers with built-in amplifiers that stay powered to avoid a warm-up delay.

Kitchen and Laundry Appliances

Microwaves, ovens with digital clocks, and coffee machines with standby heating elements all draw some power even when not cooking. Front-loading washing machines and dryers with electronic controls or delay-start features can also sip power continuously. None of these are usually the single biggest culprit, but together they contribute to the household total.

Networking and Office Gear

Routers, modems, Wi-Fi mesh points, printers and multi-function devices are designed to stay on permanently for connectivity, so it's rarely worth switching these off. Where the waste creeps in is with accessories around them — a printer's standby heater for the fuser unit, or a second monitor and desktop PC left in sleep mode rather than properly shut down.

Pool Pumps, Heat Pumps and Other Continuous Loads

Pool pumps, spa heaters and heat pump hot water systems aren't strictly "standby" in the classic sense. But when left running or idling outside their scheduled cycle, they can be a much larger source of wasted energy than any lounge room gadget. These circuits often run on dedicated switchboard wiring, which is where whole-circuit monitoring becomes useful rather than a simple plug-in device.

How to Find Out What's Really Costing You

Guessing which appliances are the worst offenders is far less useful than measuring them. A handful of Australian-available smart plugs and power boards are built specifically for this.

The TP-Link Tapo P110 Smart Plug with Energy Monitoring is designed to track the power consumption (kWh) of whatever is plugged into it. That makes it a straightforward way to check an individual appliance like a games console, subwoofer or coffee machine against your electricity tariff. The trade-off is that it monitors one outlet at a time, so you'll need several if you want to audit an entire entertainment unit or kitchen bench.

For a whole media unit or home office setup with multiple devices, the Eve Energy Strip 3-Outlet Smart Power Board is built around total energy consumption graphs across its three surge-protected sockets. That lets you see combined standby draw over time rather than checking one plug at a time. It suits people who want a tidier single-device solution instead of a row of individual smart plugs, though it only covers three outlets, so larger setups may still need extra monitoring elsewhere.

Perhaps you'd rather control several appliances independently — say, killing power to a soundbar and subwoofer overnight while leaving the TV's network module untouched. For that, the TP-Link Tapo P300 Smart Wi-Fi Power Strip offers individually controlled sockets across its three-outlet board. It also has USB-C PD charging for phones and tablets. This is useful where different devices in the same power board need different schedules, though it's worth checking your existing chargers and adapters still fit comfortably alongside the block's shape.

For bigger continuous loads like pool pumps, heat pump hot water systems or ducted air conditioning, plug-in devices aren't appropriate since these are typically hardwired. The Shelly Pro 4PM 4-Channel DIN Rail Relay is designed to mount at the switchboard and provide monitoring across four channels, suiting pool pumps and heat pumps specifically. Because this involves fixed wiring at the switchboard, installation should only be done by a licensed electrician, and it isn't something to attempt as a DIY plug-in swap.