The increased reliance on electronics has generally led to increased energy efficiency in providing these amenities. However, these same trends cause many appliances to continue to consume energy even while switched off or not performing their principal task. Standby power is an exciting area because it is closely associated with many of the newest technologies and trend-setting lifestyles. Experts still cannot agree on the definition of standby power. It is usually easy to identify as the energy used while the appliance is switched off.
Many people disagree.
This definition covers most situations, but may not be precise enough for complex devices such as television set-top boxes. The number of appliances with standby power consumption is rapidly growing both in number and diversity. Figure 1 shows appliances with standby mode in a typical US home. It is sometimes difficult to decide if an appliance is consuming power while switched off because it has no lights or indicators. LBL has compiled guidelines to help identify appliances with standby where it is not possible to measure them.