Smart televisions could take longer to switch on under the government’s plans to bring Britain ’s measures for standby and off mode in line with the European Union.

The government has launched a consultation for proposed changes to how smart household products, such as televisions, robot vacuum cleaners, air fryers and voice-activated light systems, would work when they are turned off or on standby.

Smart devices are now becoming ubiquitous in the country’s homes but the consultation says that the UK ’s minimum standards to regulate them have “not kept pace with technological progress”.

The changes would set a cap for how much power such devices can consume when in standby mode, which the government says would stop them “draining money” from families.

But this has the potential to increase the time they would take to switch on again.

The proposed regulations are drawn on recent changes made by the EU .

The consultation says: “The revised regulations are designed to deliver ongoing benefits by reducing…