Electricity prices remain high and consumers are increasingly paying attention to where they can save energy. However, for some devices you should avoid unplugging them.
WiFi routers and modems
As electricity prices rise, more and more people are paying attention to where unnecessary electricity consumption and the associated additional costs can be saved. With some devices it is worth unplugging them when they are not in use, as they consume more power in standby mode than they actually need to. However, you should note that not all devices should be disconnected from the network, as t3n explains. For example, Wi-Fi routers and modems should not be completely unplugged, as this means you can no longer use many things such as your home phone, smartphones and tablets without restrictions. In addition, if these devices are switched on and off frequently, providers may assume that the router is malfunctioning due to the lack of feedback. However, if you are not at home for a longer period of time, such as on vacation, you can and should turn off the router to save electricity, explains EFAHRER.com.
PCs and notebooks
According to t3n, it is also less advisable to unplug PCs and notebooks via sockets that can be switched off. This could have two negative effects on the devices: On the one hand, the BIOS battery as a power reserve always ensures that the basic settings, such as the boot sequence and installed hardware, are retained. So if the computer is only switched on for a few hours a week when it is used, the battery will have to be replaced in the long term. While this is relatively easy for experienced users to do themselves with a computer tower, a trip to a workshop or dealer becomes necessary with ultrabooks at the latest. However, as t3n reports, there is another reason for Windows 11 users not to cut off the power to the notebook, namely the battery management, which ensures that the notebook battery is always maintained.
OLED TVs
OLED televisions should also not be unplugged. These regenerate the individual self-illuminating pixels every time they start, according to t3n. If you regularly disconnect them from the power, this can lead to a deterioration in the image quality in the long term. Additionally, many TVs download updates in standby mode at night.
Printers and multifunction devices
In addition, according to t3n, you should also avoid regularly unplugging printers and multifunctional devices such as printer-scanner-fax combinations. The reason for this is the self-cleaning and self-test, which are carried out with every new start and which lead to unnecessary ink or toner consumption.
E. Schmal / editorial team finanzen.net