Is it really useful to unplug your internet box at night or when you go on vacation and what are the savings made over the year?
It’s an old tradition that dies hard: electronic devices continue to consume even when they are on standby. It is therefore often recommended to completely unplug appliances such as the television, oven or toasters so as not to consume electricity unnecessarily. However, our devices are becoming more and more intelligent, to the point that some can now turn off automatically based on your habits. This is particularly the case for a majority of recent phones which are capable of cutting off their charging at night and reactivating it just before you wake up to save energy.
In this context, a question is bothering many customers of Internet service providers: is it really worth unplugging your Internet box when you are not using it? First of all, it should be noted that turning off an internet box will deprive all of your devices of a connection. Goodbye to connected lights and other home automation devices. If your home is heavily equipped with alarms, presence detectors, locks and electric bulbs, then it is better to avoid unplugging your box, otherwise you will have to restart everything later or even have to reinstall certain devices.
Furthermore, Arcep (Regulatory Authority for Electronic Communications, Posts and Press Distribution) recently published a study on the impact of the electricity consumption of internet boxes when they are turned on or not. His observations are clear: 95% of the consumption of an internet box is invariable, whether it is used or not. Thus, cutting off the Wi-Fi on your internet box would allow you to make a paltry saving, of less than 3 euros per year. By completely turning off your box at night (by unplugging it for example), you will save a little more, around ten euros per year on average.
Add to this the fact that frequently unplugging and reconnecting a box has a significant impact on its lifespan and you will understand that it is better not to touch your box. In fact, when you reconnect it, all of its functions will then be reactivated and your devices will quickly reconnect to it, putting a lot of strain on your box.
The other advantage of not unplugging your internet box is your operator’s after-sales service. In the event of a breakdown, the latter will be better able to assist you if your box was still connected and active before the breakdown in question.