Standby’ ban could save UK £740m

The government could introduce a ban on ‘standby’ settings for electrical appliances after the Energy Savings Trust found that leaving appliances on standby wasted £740m each year – the equivalent of two power plants’ worth of electricity.

Environmentalists have suggested that only consumer electronics without the standby function be allowed on sale in the UK, but a ban could cause other problems. Commentators say that unless the ban also covers products manufactured outside the UK then home industry would be unfairly disadvantaged.