Many French people are used to unplugging appliances to save energy. However, this can be dangerous!
Who has never read or heard the advice that it is best to completely turn off an electronic device when it is not in use? Whether it’s a toaster, a television or a video game console, many French people have gotten into the habit of completely turning off their electrical appliances when they are not in use.
Other consumers who are more concerned about energy loss and the environment even advise completely unplugging certain devices. Multiple sockets with switches have even invaded homes in recent years, allowing everything to be unplugged in one go. The arguments put forward would notably be passive electricity consumption of the devices, even when they are turned off but plugged in. This would also allow you to make some savings over several months or even years.
If this advice remains commendable and effective on many devices, there are certain others which should not be unplugged otherwise it could cause possible breakdowns or accidents!
First of all, be aware that it is not recommended to unplug OLED televisions. Many technicians and manufacturers regularly recommend not touching the socket of these TVs. This can, in certain cases, lead to the end of the store’s or manufacturer’s warranty if you ever have a problem with it. In addition, OLED televisions always have a specially designed shutdown with their dedicated remote control. By turning off your OLED TV with the latter, you ensure that you clean the screen and its various pixels properly. Note that some brands of OLED TV even have an option to see the number of sudden shutdowns (by unplugging the device for example).
The other device that should never be unplugged is your wifi router. In fact, when a wifi router turns on, it carries out a whole series of operations to reconnect your entire home to a network. Unplugging it and plugging it back in regularly will have the effect of multiplying these series of operations, and therefore putting more strain on the router. By doing so, you will above all increase your electricity consumption and wear out the device more quickly!
Finally, the last device that it is strongly recommended not to unplug is the inkjet printer. When such a printer turns on for the first time, it generally performs a complete cleaning of its ink reserves, wasting any cartridges that you had already used. You will therefore simply waste ink as well as time!