When I bought my first smart TV, way back in 2011, the industry was pretty fragmented. There weren't any standard platforms, and add-on media streamers were rare, so you were often stuck with your TV maker's proprietary software. Chances are, it wasn't good — in fact my TV's apps never performed that well, and updates for them were short-lived.
In 2026, two platforms reign supreme if you're not buying a TV from LG or Samsung: Roku OS and Google TV. If you don't own a TV with Google TV preloaded, you may have a Chromecast or Google TV Streamer. The OS may be essential to your daily life, especially if you have connected smart home accessories like lights or security cameras.
If you're here, you're presumably wondering if there are any downsides to leaving a Google TV device running non-stop. The good news is that there aren't many, especially if you leave it in standby most of the time. In fact, there's a strong incentive to avoid shutting down unless you absolutely have to.
What are the cons of leaving a Google TV device plugged in?
Convenience versus consumption
The foremost worry people tend to have is power consumption. With a Chromecast or Google TV Streamer, this is minimal — FlatpanelsHD notes that a Streamer tops out at 3.5W with video, and 4.3W with games, dropping to just 1.2W on standby. A Chromecast isn't going to consume any more than 3.5W, and its…