Stand-Bye Mode

I tried to say goodbye to a practice that is as common as it is underestimated in relation to electronic devices and electricity.

In today’s fast-paced society, we are constantly surrounded by electronic devices that make our lives easier. However, we often forget how much these devices can contribute to wasted electricity. How many times have we seen a small red flashing light, a sign that a device is in stand-by mode, without worrying about its impact on the environment and our bills?

To begin this adventure, I carefully inspected every nook and cranny of my house in search of stand-by devices. From TVs to chargers, they seemed to be everywhere. My first move was to unplug all devices when they were not in use, eliminating their stand-by consumption. The difference? A small decrease in the electricity bill probably, but definitely a big initial inconvenience: due to habits formed over years now, it was certainly inconvenient at times to have to get used to plugging in and unplugging everything.

Over the course of the week, I have noticed how difficult it is to resist the temptation to leave everything on stand-by for convenience in fact. To combat this habit, I tried to see if there could be sockets (or even other solutions) that could meet the two basic needs: my desire for constant convenience and the need to save electricity. I found a fairly immediate solution: in fact, I started using smart sockets that could be controlled via smartphone. Thus, I was able to remotely switch off all the devices I had forgotten to physically switch off these days, thus avoiding the guilt of not paying attention to this issue.

At the end of this period, I drew some important conclusions. Stand-by mode is often an overlooked behaviour that has a significant impact on our energy consumption. Although it may seem inconvenient to constantly turn devices off and on, it is a small action that can result in significant savings in the long run.

Furthermore, I realised how important it is to be aware of our energy consumption. My experiment made me more aware of the energy we consume and pushed me to look for more energy-efficient solutions.

In conclusion, ‘Stand-By Mode’ was an enlightening experiment. Eliminating stand-by consumption not only contributed to energy savings, but also made me more environmentally responsible.