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Small currents do flow when things are switched off, in the wires that remain live. The power used by them, and the energy registered on the meter, is very very small.

The currents flow in the capacitance of the wires, which is maybe 50-100 pF per metre of wire. The currents are reactive, in other words the energy flows into the wire and back out twice each cycle, so that the net power is nearly zero, so you pay virtually nothing.

If a house has 20 metres of permanent wiring, the capacitance might be 1 nanofarad, and the reactive current going through the meter would then be 75 microamps on a 240 v 50 Hz system. That current in a resistance of 0.1 ohms would absorb a power of roughly 10-9 watts.

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Yes, an electric circuit can be completed without connecting it to earth. The circuit needs a complete path for the current to flow back to the source, so as long as the circuit is properly connected and the electrons can flow through the components, it will work without needing an earth connection.


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