Electronic devices turned into standby-mode cost German households about 448,000 euro per hour, power price comparison website Check24 has found. TV sets, microwaves and other devices supplied with energy without being operated are causing about 6.1 million tonnes of CO2 emissions every year and chalk up an electricity use of about 13 billion kilowatt hours. This is more than the output of a medium-sized nuclear plant and costs customers nearly 4 billion euros per year, the website said. Standby-mode operation accounted for about ten percent of all electricity use, it added, according to Clean Energy Wire.

Check24 said the worldwide Earth Hour on 28 March, during which cities around the world are turning off street lights in a concerted move, would be an opportunity to shut down all devices for at least one hour.

Germany has some of the highest retail power prices in Europe but many customers continue to support the country’s energy transition regardless. While wholesale electricity prices on average have been in decline in recent years, surcharges, taxes, and grid fees raise the bill for Germany’s private households and small businesses. According to the German Council for Sustainable Development (RNE), a more efficient use of smartphones, computers, TVs, or other electronic devices could reduce their power consumption by more than three quarters.