Experts are urging gadget lovers to switch off devices at night just don’t ever unplug your Wi-Fi.
If you have a swathe of tech devices littering your home it might be a good idea to hit the off switch and unplug them at night. Not only does killing the power to gadgets – such as TVs, laptops, PCs and coffee makers – improve safety but it can also save vast sums of money over the year.
That’s according to the team at Signal & Power who say not switching certain items off can be surprisingly expensive along with reducing the longevity of products and creating hazards.
“Some appliances even when turned off can still draw power not only increasing energy bills but could pose a potential fire risk!,” Signal & Power exclaimed.
As an example of the savings that can be made, not charging phones overnight could save £10 per year and switching off TVs, PCs and consoles can reduce things by up to £60 a year.
It’s even a good idea to remove laptop chargers from the socket when not being used as they can still draw power even when the PC isn’t connected. “Laptop chargers can draw a small amount of power even when not connected to a laptop. Overheating or malfunctioning can also be a fire hazard. Unplugging could save £5-£10,” said Jae Ro an expert at Plug Specialists, Signal & Power.
Other things to watch out for include Coffee Makers. Unplugging these popular machines not only saves money but also extends the life of the device.
“Many coffee makers have a small internal heater that consumes electricity even when the machine is off,” Ro added.
“Faulty components can also lead to a fire hazard. If you unplug them at night you could save around £10-£15 per year. Unplugging can also help protect them from power surges or fluctuations, extending their lifespan”
If you have the time and want to shave a pennies off of your power bill then it’s worth following this advice just make sure you don’t hit the power button on your router.
This flashing black box needs to run 24 hours a day 7 days a week if you don’t want any issues with your broadband. Firstly, Internet Service Providers usually push out vital updates overnight and these won’t be installed if things are off.
Along with not getting upgrades, there is another reason why keeping the router connected is vital. Constantly switching things off and on again can fool your ISP into thinking that there’s a problem with your line.
To keep you connected, firms may then put emergency speed restrictions in place so you don’t go offline. This means despite nothing being physically wrong with your broadband you’ll suddenly face much slower speeds.
“Constantly switching off the hub makes the line look unstable, meaning that your speed may be automatically reduced to improve the reliability of your broadband connection,” BT explains on its help pages.
By tapping the off switch you will save yourself a bit of energy each night but your broadband may suffer in return.
