Do electronics use electricity when plugged in, even if turned off?

[Luminary]

I've heard some interesting things about how electronics, even when powered off, use a ton of electricity. Is this true? Wouldn't a machine that needs no energy, use no energy? Or does the outlet keep feeding it unused electricity? If the latter is the case, I'm quite confused. Wouldn't this be an easily solved problem? Couldn't manufacturers just put in some sort of mechanism that detects if electricity is required? I couldn't explain specifics, but if we can go into space, shouldn't we be able to prevent wasted electricity? Is this, perhaps, an expense issue, where the technology would cost more than usual? In that case, wouldn't the technology "buy itself" after a month or so of not wasting electricity?

I'm confused. Should I unplug my computer? Should I yell at manufacturers because this is inconvenient? Or should I just let it stay shut down and plugged in?

 

[Larry]

Some appliances use small amounts of power even when turned "off'. The modern television, needs some minimum amount of power to be supplied to the circuitry that is looking for a signal from the remote control, so that it can be turned on. Devices that use small transformers that plug directly into a socket also use small amounts of power even when off. None of these devices could be said to used "a ton" of power though. You could buy a power strip with a on-off switch and plug these appliances into that. Then when you turn off the power strip, you would no longer be wasting any power. Would it pay for the cost of the power strip? Maybe, maybe not. These standby losses are probably pretty low, which is why manufactures have not address it. You might better worry about the big power consumers, like anything that heats, cools, or lighting.

 

[richmck]

You are consuming energy when in standby mode ( eg, tv's often switched off by remote control will eventually consume enough electricity that has to be paid for if left in standby mode long enough, however how long, I can't say , but the consumer has to pay ), when off, I mean completely off , there is no reason why you should be paying for electricity if you are off as you are simply not consuming any...
Does anybody beg to differ..?
My beef is the fact that we need to have the fridge on all year if it contains perishable food. Surely with all the technological advances that exist today, someone somewhere should have come up an invention that keeps the food cold for long periods of time without the need for electricity over a long period of time.
For my money, solar energy is the way forward but we are not serious enough about it in the world, or is it that we have been duped by the powers that be...