The Government's Market Transformation Programme (MTP) estimates that in 2008 the 66 million television sets in use in UK homes consumed an average of just over 600 Watt hours each per day. Of this an average of 30 watt hours (5 per cent.) was consumed while the television was in stand-by mode.
MTP evidence indicates that the on average a new television consumes 2.5 watts while in stand-by. This will be reduced to one watt from January 2010 as a result of new EU legislation under the ecodesign for energy using products framework directive and falling further to 0.3 watts in 2012.