TV in standby mode? There are benefits (even with some energy expenditure)

Despite spending some electrical energy, television standby mode has some purposes that are worth keeping in mind and that should be considered before shutting down the plug equipment.

21/09/2026
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Sif you have a modern tv at home you will certainly have noticed that by turning it off through the command, it enters a standby mode – or waiting mode, as if it were a deep sleep.

This reality contrasts with what many who grew up in the 1990s felt, in which turning off the television directly on the equipment (without resorting to command) allowed them to shut it down completely and stop electricity consumption.

It is not, of course, the case of standby mode, where television continues to consume some energy.

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It is then necessary to understand what kind of advantages this standby mode has and whether it is worth keeping it on or whether, on the other hand, it should disconnect the television from the socket in order to prevent the equipment from continuing to consume electricity.

Turns out standby mode has some associated advantages. For example, the time required to start is significantly shorter if you have this active mode. There is also the fact that some models take advantage of this state to update the operating system, saving users from having to wait long minutes to be able to use television while waiting for the software to be updated.

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There is also an additional issue regarding televisions using OLED technology. As the Engadget website counts, on televisions OLED standby mode serves to maintain the screen – the so-called compensation cycle – used to increase panel durability and reduce temporary image retention.

Still, this does not mean that there is no good reason to disconnect television from the socket and avoid standby mode. As low as electricity consumption is, it is worth considering turning off the television from the outlet if it is absent for a longer period.

In addition, as with any modern electronic device (such as mobile phones), there are benefits in rebooting the television system in order to require the closure of processes that are taking place in the background. If you feel that television has a slower performance, it is worth restarting television.