How much does a console cost on standby?
By Sithum Imarsha Last reviewed
About $33 a year in NSW for a console left in sleep mode at 12.5 W (an Estimate). In energy saver mode it draws about 0.5 W: $1 a year.
Your result
A year on standby
$33
12.5 W on standby, about 100 kWh a year at 33.1c/kWh. The biggest you can switch off: Game console.
- Keep on (internet, recorder)
- $0
- Everything else
- $33
- 1 W left on all year
- $2.90
Fix the highlighted field to update.
| Device | A year | Our call |
|---|---|---|
| TV | — | Not counted |
| Free-to-air recorder or box | — | Not counted |
| Pay-TV or streaming box | — | Not counted |
| Game console | $33 | Switch off |
| Sound bar | — | Not counted |
| Smart speaker | — | Not counted |
| Clock radio | — | Not counted |
| Modem or router | — | Not counted |
| nbn box (NTD) | — | Not counted |
| Desktop computer | — | Not counted |
| Computer monitor | — | Not counted |
| Laptop charger left plugged in | — | Not counted |
| Phone charger left plugged in | — | Not counted |
| Printer | — | Not counted |
| Microwave | — | Not counted |
| Washing machine at the wall | — | Not counted |
| Dishwasher at the wall | — | Not counted |
| Your own device | — | Not counted |
"Switch off" means $5 a year or more and nothing is lost by switching off at the wall. This is our rule, not a source. Never switch off a fridge, medical equipment, alarms, or solar, battery and EV gear.
How we calculated this
- Standby hours are the hours in a day a device is not in use.
- Standby watts times those hours gives the kWh a year.
- That energy is priced at the import rate, and devices worth switching off are flagged.
Count the hours each device sits on standby
24 hours minus the hours it is in use. Devices that idle all day, like a modem or a smart speaker, count all 24 hours. Hours in use are our Estimates.
Turn watts into kWh a year
12.5 W: 100 kWh a year
Price it and flag the ones worth switching off
$33 a year, $0 of it for devices to keep on
A console in sleep or rest mode stays online so it can update and wake fast. This version counts one console and nothing else, on New South Wales rates, so the result is that one device.
What we found
Dated third-party source
- A PS5 in rest mode draws 0.3 to 3.1 W. The top of the range is while it charges controllers with adaptive charging off (Sony).
Official source
- An Xbox in Sleep mode is reported at about 10 to 13 W, and in energy saving Shutdown about 0.5 W.
Estimate
- We use 12.5 W for sleep: Our estimate: Xbox Sleep 10 to 13 W (Xbox Support, read 26 Sep 2026); PS5 rest mode up to 3.1 W (Sony).
Want your whole home? See the standby power calculator.
Questions
How many watts does a PS5 use in rest mode?
0.3 to 3.1 W. The top of the range is while it charges controllers with adaptive charging off (Sony, Dec 2024).
Does charging controllers in rest mode cost more?
A little: up to 3.1 W on a PS5, the top of its rest mode range. Turn on adaptive charging to cut it.
Is energy saver mode worth it?
On an Xbox, yes: about $1 a year instead of the sleep mode figure above. The console takes longer to start.