Accessible switch or extension lead

WIAWSNB

Make sure the extension lead has individually switchable outlets. No need to physically unplug anything.

casper_gutman

https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/comment/81915761#Comment_81915761

Apologies, but as a former physics teacher I am compelled to point out that "half a watt" is already a rate of energy use, equal to half a joule of energy per second. Half a watt per hour doesn't make sense. An appliance with 0.5 W standby consumption will use 1800 joules in an hour, or 0.0005 kWh.

The point you're making is valid though. I wouldn't personally worry about the cost of energy used by leaving a modern phone or laptop charger plugged in. Certainly not if it's only going to be happening for a short-ish period while recovering from an injury or medical/surgical treatment.

MyRealNameToo

The cost of the wear on things being turned off/unplugged won't be far off the cost of the thing being left plugged in with the appliance off. If you add an extension lead with an LED that well could be more than the cost of the device itself being plugged in when off.

Any smart or remote device is also consuming energy monitoring its sensor that will be equivalent to just leaving the device plugged in and turned off.

There are times and places for these things but energy saving isnt one of them… turning the bedroom fan on/off from within the bed is nice, turning the Xmas lights on/off without trying to get to the plug and knocking half the baubles off each time is great, all valid uses for these items.

twopenny

It's not cost, it's fire risk 🙂

Watched a neighbours bungalow burn at night through a fridge fault. Two others in this little town and a friend who's airing cupboard caught fire from a switch. All couldn't have been fortold.

So I'm wary.

ic

https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/comment/81919140#Comment_81919140

In that case, installing cheap remotely operated sockets is probably not what you're after. I'd say simply having a good quality extension lead with switches would be enough, and turn off the applicances on the extension lead. An extension lead isn't going to burst into flames, unless a high power is drawn through it.

vacheron

https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/comment/81919140#Comment_81919140

You are worrying unnecessarily.

A fridge would need to be on 24-7 anyway, so no point worrying about that.

An airing cupboard switch will still have mains voltage inside of it, even when the switch is turned off. Your heating system and thermostats are running continuously, routers, alarms etc also as well as power to any other kitchen devices, ovens, extractors, dishwashers, the list goes on and on!

Adding remote switches is actually increasing the number of items that you can't fully turn off.

I think this is a generational thing though, I remember my great aunt and uncle going round pulling all the plugs out every night.
In the 80's when they got their first video recorder, they didn't sleep properly for days because I told them it should be left on. They kept getting up about 3 times a night to "check on it".

Things have improved considerably since then with the addition of PVC cables, uprated wiring standards, MCB's RCD's and RCBO's plus internal device fault detection and fire resistant and self extinguishing materials. Don't let worrying about a fire risk unduly influence your lifestyle or convenience.