2. Inkjet printer

I bought a good printer a couple of years ago. I’ll be honest – I don’t use it that often. Every time I finished printing, the first thing I did was pull out the cord. Well, why keep it on if I’m not printing? It seemed like a great idea until I noticed that the ink was running out quickly.

The problem turned out to be simple: when you pull the plug, the print head does not go into the correct standby mode, and every time you turn on the printer, it starts a cleaning cycle, eating up the ink. So now I don’t unplug it, but simply turn it off with a button – and the ink, oddly enough, lasts longer.

3. Wi-Fi router

The router is a whole other story. I used to turn it off at night, thinking that I was saving both electricity and the Internet itself (there was no unlimited tariff back then). But one day I woke up early, urgently needed to send an email to work, and the router decided to « sleep » a little longer. The Internet took so long to connect that I was almost late sending important documents.

Since then, I realized that a stable connection is not a luxury, but a necessity, especially if you have smart gadgets at home, like me: lamps, cameras, all tied to the Internet. Now the router works around the clock – and I sleep peacefully.

Other devices that are best left unplugged

• Refrigerator and freezer  – there’s not much to explain here. Turn them off and get ready to throw out the food.
• Security systems  – if you have them, keep them on at all times. Security is not something you should skimp on.
• Smart thermostats  – turn them off and one day you’ll return to an icy apartment.
• Medical devices  – If someone close to you requires medical devices to maintain their health, these items should always be connected.

Of course, you need to save electricity, but in moderation. Now I try to turn off only those devices that are not harmed by it. What do you turn off when you leave? Share your tricks – I will be happy to read your advice.