The "off" switch is lying to you. When electric appliances are plugged in but turned off, they are usually in standby mode, many waiting to respond to a remote control or recharging a battery on a cordless device. That continual drain can be anywhere between 5 and 26 percent of a household's electricity bill. Representatives from 25 countries who are members of the International Energy Agency met in Tokyo on Feb. 7 and 8 to discuss how manufacturers of electronics can be prodded into designing appliances that run at a standby power of one watt or less.