Free UK tool
UK Standby Power Cost Calculator
Work out what your always-on gadgets actually cost you a year, in pounds, at your own electricity rate. Set how many of each you have, adjust the unit rate to match your tariff, and the running total updates as you go.
Wondering how much standby power costs a UK home? This free standby cost calculator (sometimes called a phantom load or vampire power calculator) adds up the idle draw of your TV, consoles, chargers and kitchen kit, then converts it into pounds per year at your real unit rate. Most households land somewhere between £40 and £100 — the calculator below shows exactly where yours sits.
Standby figures are typical values from manufacturer specifications and published energy research — not our own bench measurements. Standing charge is not included — this is unit cost only.
It's on your bill or in your supplier's app. The default is a typical UK capped rate.
TV (large, smart)
~1.3 W each · Higher with quick-start or voice wake enabled
£2.79
per year
Soundbar / hi-fi amp
~4.0 W each · One of the worst repeat offenders
£8.58
per year
Set-top box / PVR
~12.0 W each · Recording boxes barely idle at all
£25.75
per year
Games console (rest mode)
~10.0 W each · Rest mode keeps the network chip alive
£21.46
per year
Broadband router
~8.0 W each · Runs 24/7 by design — leave it on
£17.17
per year
Desktop PC (sleep)
~0.0 W each · Plus monitor standby on top
—
per year
Monitor (standby)
~0.0 W each · Small, but usually two of them
—
per year
Laptop charger left plugged in
~3.0 W each · Draws even with no laptop attached
£6.44
per year
Phone / tablet charger
~0.9 W each · Tiny individually, adds up in bulk
£1.93
per year
Microwave (clock display)
~2.5 W each · The clock costs more than the cooking on light use
£5.37
per year
Coffee machine (heated standby)
~0.0 W each · Bean-to-cup machines idle hot
—
per year
Washing machine (idle)
~1.0 W each · Higher on Wi-Fi connected models
£2.15
per year
Dishwasher (idle)
~1.0 W each · Delay-start display keeps drawing
£2.15
per year
Printer (ready mode)
~0.0 W each · Inkjets wake periodically to clean heads
—
per year
Smart speaker / display
~4.0 W each · Always listening means always drawing
£8.58
per year
Electric shower / towel rail timer
~0.0 W each · Standby electronics on the isolator side
—
per year
Your standby bill
47.7 W
drawn constantly
418 kWh
wasted per year
£102.37
per year at 24.5p/kWh
Where your money is actually going
- Set-top box / PVR — £25.75 a year
- Games console (rest mode) — £21.46 a year
- Broadband router — £17.17 a year
How the maths works
Annual kilowatt-hours are simply watts × 24 hours × 365 days ÷ 1,000. Multiply that by your unit rate and you have the yearly cost. A single 10 W device left on all year is 87.6 kWh — roughly £21.46 at the rate you've entered. That is the whole trick: small numbers multiplied by 8,760 hours stop being small.
Two honest caveats. First, some of this draw is not waste — your router, freezer and alarm need to stay powered, and switching them off saves money you don't want to save. Second, real standby figures vary between models by a factor of five or more, so treat the totals here as a well-informed estimate rather than a meter reading. If you want the exact number for your home, a plug-in energy monitor will tell you in a week.
Common questions
How much does standby power cost the average UK home?
Most UK homes sit somewhere between £40 and £100 a year on always-on devices, depending on how much AV kit, networking gear and connected appliances are in the house. Homes with a games console, a PVR and a bean-to-cup coffee machine land at the top of that range easily.
Should I switch everything off at the wall?
No. Leave the router, fridge-freezer, alarm, and anything that needs to record or update overnight. Target the entertainment stack, chargers and hot-standby kitchen appliances instead — that's where nearly all the recoverable money is.
Do smart plugs use standby power themselves?
Yes, typically 0.5–1 W each. A smart plug only pays for itself when it is cutting a meaningfully larger load — a soundbar, a console or a coffee machine — so putting one on a phone charger is a net loss.
Is this calculator accurate for my exact devices?
It is an estimate built from typical published figures, not a measurement of your hardware. Use it to work out whether the problem is worth attacking; use a plug-in energy monitor if you want the precise figure for your own home.