Let’s say I have a computer plugged in, or a microwave, or phone charger plugged in. Isn’t the point of a device being off is that it’s not supposed to be using electricity? How much watts of power am I looking at that’s being consumed per hour?
Where does this apply and where does it not? Shouldn’t I try to unplug everything as much as possible to save money?
In: 101
‘Power supplies’ generally consist of two parts: 1) a transformer to step up or down the voltage, and 2) a rectifier to change AC power to DC power. Modern electronics can be found to either have the power supply inside of them (like a microwave or a TV), or as an external device (like the wall warts you get with a laptop or an Alexa speaker).
By their very nature, transformers are still performing ‘work’ even when nothing else is plugged into the output end. This is called Vampire Power. https://electronics.howstuffworks.com/everyday-tech/plug-in-transformer.htm. If you really want to know more, read up on how transformers work.
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