Does turning off your router at night save money?

[LONDONER]

The following text is taken from The Daily Telegraph and although it is initially directed at UK citizens, it might be of interest to others also. While the conclusion seems to be that you might not save as much as you might think, if you have as many gagets as the average household does these days, when you add up what they will all cost if left of permanent standby, it could add up to a substantial amount.

Personally I always turn off things like printers and monitor,TV etc. but it never occured to me to turn off the router. I'll most certainly turn off my Freesat box though.


'Wireless internet router is expensive on standby but is it wise to turn off at night?'
Ask an Expert: We look at how you can save money on your electricity bill without losing your TV and phone services

I am concerned about the higher costs of running my wireless router. How can one avoid paying so much? When the wireless feature is not being used, is it possible to disable it while not affecting the other connections like our telephone or TV? AS, via email.

Research by green electricity company Ecotricity showed a wireless router costs £21.92 a year on average if left on continuously, making it one of the most expensive gadgets in your home to run.

You can turn it off overnight or when you are not using the internet to save electricity and it will not affect your telephone or usual TV services, even if you have a package deal such as those offered by Virgin Media and Sky.

However, anything that runs via the internet, such as TV on demand or catch-up services, will be disabled.

Also, be careful if you use your mobile phone to access the internet when your wireless router is switched off. Depending on your data package, the phone charges could quickly outstrip any savings on your electricity bill.

Also check your electricity rates some customers pay less for energy at night, so switching your router off in the evening may not save as much as you’d hoped.

Annual energy usage while on standby

Source: Ecotricity

Wireless Router (e.g. BT Hub) - £21.92

Printer (Laser) - £18.26

Set-top (Satellite) - £18.26

Amplifier - £12.18

Compact Hi-Fi - £12.18

iPad charger - £12.18

Nintendo Wii - £12.18

Set-top box (Freeview) - £7.31

Alarm Clock - £6.09

Microsoft Xbox 360 - £6.09

Modem - £6.09

Sony PlayStation 3 - £6.09

Air freshener plug-in - £4.87

CD player / Tuner - £4.87

Television (Plasma) - £4.87

Video Player - £4.87

Inkjet printer - £4.26

Desktop PC - £3.65

Nintendo DS - £3.65

Oven (Electric) - £3.65

Microwave - £3.04

Television (CRT & LCD) - £3.04

Mobile phone charger - £2.44

PC monitor (CRT) - £2.44

Electric toothbrush - £1.22

Childs night light - £0.73