Most electronics that are plugged in are using some electricity even when they're off. Some use a lot of electricity. For example, a plasma TV in active standby mode can draw 1.4kW. Yikes! This chart from www.good.is shows relative idle loads for a variety of appliances. Some electronics need to stay on—clocks, DVRs, home security systems—because you want to keep the programming or need the protection. But lots of devices in your home are just wasting energy and your money.