if I use a smart plug,will it save much energy?

The plug that controls my digi box is buried inside a cupboard. The plug sending power to the. TV is a bit difficult to get at, both are now connected to a smart plug

Now I understand that if not turned off at the plug that the box is still using energy. So my question is: if I use a smart plug to turn off the plugs when not in use will save that energy.

Do you really save much energy ?
 

Xmint

Member
It depends. Smart sockets or plug-in modules will of course themselves consume energy, up to around a couple of watts to power micro-controllers and radio gear. If your appliance consumes less energy in stand-by mode (most TVs are around 0.5w these days), the answer is no. But use them to control appliances that are much higher energy consumers, they may be worth using. Remember there is a cost to these devices so pay-back may be longer than you think:

10w appliance, turned off via a £30 2w plug-in for 14 hours a day saves 0.112kWh per day, approximately £6.13 per year.

To bolster your argument to involve smart technologies is the ethical one of just saving the energy regardless of the cost to control it, or forming at least part of the decision to invest in it. Basically it costs to be green!

Hope this helps
 
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