In the context of 2023 inflation, households have seen their electricity bills increase significantly. To save money, it is essential to know what weighs the most on your bill. However, according to the Environment and Energy Management Agency (Ademe), 15% of household electricity bills are due to the “hidden consumption” of appliances, which represents an average of 100 euros per year.

The “phantom consumption” of household appliances depends on their hidden standbys. According to Ademe, a nuclear reactor must operate without interruption to ensure the consumption of all electrical appliances on standby in France.

A household would waste an average of 86 euros every year by leaving its household appliances plugged in. Counting the devices that remain on without our knowledge, this cost explodes. Hidden standby devices use electricity even though they have been turned off with their on/off button. Their main switch is actually located after the transformer. When the device is switched off and plugged in, it still consumes energy because the residual current continues to flow.

“Any induction hob consumes current in standby mode. This can go up to 200 W depending on the model. A significant annual expense added to all other appliances in standby mode”, explains a member of the 60 million forum. consumers. According to Engie, “as soon as you remove your container, the plate turns off. But it is not really stopped: it is only in standby mode. The bad news is that it continues to consume electricity “, reports Ouest-France.

For the négaWatt association, if 30% of French households turned off unnecessarily lit appliances, savings of 3400 to 4000 GWh/year would be achieved. According to UFC-Que Choisir, a European directive limits the power of these hidden standbys to 0.5 W but it can go up to 2 W for devices that remain connected to the Internet or data networks and those that are tactile.

What are the appliances whose hidden consumption weighs on your electricity bill?