Standby power is the electricity used by an appliance while plugged in but not in operation. Standby power tends to consume electricity (around 10% in general) silently and continuously even when an appliance is doing nothing. A large number of household appliances have a standby mode, including power adaptors for laptops and mobiles, televisions, VCR's, DVD's, microwaves, cordless phones, fax machines and computer equipment.