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Why hasn't this been invented?

I heard that when something is plugged into the wall and turned off, it still uses up electricity. Why isn’t there something that detects when the device is off and ‘unplugs’ it from the outlet, or shuts off power to that specific outlet? Would it be too expensive to make? Or impossible to make? I know it wouldn’t be too difficult to unplug something from an outlet, but in some cases it can be, like if an outlet is behind a piece of furniture or something. Also, some things can get reset like clocks, cable boxes, ect.

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Answer #1

Thanks :)

Answer #2

Well there ya go!

Answer #3

It does exist, it’s called an Appliance Non-use Detection Safety Power Shut-off System

Answer #4

It varies. Some appliances ARE turned off when they’re turned off. Others, especially ones like videos and computers, where there is a back-up battery system that likes to re-charge itself, keep on using (rather small) amounts of electricity. Unless it’s something like a clock that WILL be affected by unplugging, the simplest and cheapest thing is to un-plug. If necessary, get youself some good heavy-duty extension cords for stuff that’s hard to get at.

(And that also means that should a thunderstorm come, your computer etc won’t be hit - that’s a valid point for me at least, up here in the mountains.)

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