As you sit back flicking between channels with the remote control have you ever considered what TV was like before the remote control? Don't be stupid, you say, without the remote control watching TV is not the same. Firstly you have to sit and watch the same channel all night, as it is too much hassle to get up and change the channel manually. Secondly how else would you switch the TV 'off', other than pressing the button on the remote and watching the little red light come on.

the truth behind the little red light

It may surprise many of you, but every TV has a off switch on the on the set itself and this should always be where it is switched 'off'! When the little red light is on this means the TV is on standby and what many people don't realise is that a TV on standby still uses electricity and costs money. Many appliances use electricity when you may think they are 'off'; to see more examples check our Standby Electricty Consumption Guide. Many people don't switch appliances of and this can have serious effects on their electricity bills and also the environment.

The graphs illustrate three possible scenarios, using different standby powers of three common living room appliances. Leaving the Television, Video and Satellite TV Box on standby rather than switching them off properly at the appliance or wall, is quite a common occurrence, this show how much electricity could be wasted in the living room due to standby power.

These three appliances are potentially running up an unnecessary bill of £45 over the duration of a year by not being switched off properly. That is the worst case scenario and it is more likely that the average cost of leaving these appliances on standby for the year rather than switching them off at the wall is going to be in the region of £10 of money down the drain.

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