The energy price cap has been raised this week which means many households are watching the smart meter nervously as they prepare to tighten their belts.
But just a handful of common household appliances could hoover up a total of £1,011.93 per year if you leave them on standby. You sometimes can't avoid charging phones and toothbrushes overnight, but turning off other gadgets like games consoles, Wifi and TVs could save a small fortune on your next energy bill.
Plumbing and electrical company JustServicesGroup.com analysed 13 electrical appliances that could be turned off overnight, to see how much it cost to run them for a month and a year. They found keeping appliances on or on standby overnight cost an additional £84.33 per month on average. Just a games console could add £13 to your yearly bill. You can get more consumer news and other story updates by subscribing to our newsletters here.
Co-founder of JustServicesGroup.com, Chris Burls, said: "The increase of energy bills is unavoidable and is causing immense financial strain for many households. Whilst turning these things off overnight may not resolve the burden of the price cap increase, making minor changes in day to day habits can have a benefit to monthly and yearly costs." These are all the changes in April that will have seen your bills rise.
The appliances included in the research, and how much they cost for eight hours a day for a year were:
Oil filled radiator - £544.20 (six months of the year)
Dehumidifier - £304.80 per year
Heating blanket - £87.12 (six months of the year)
Fan - £30.48 (three months of the year)
Falling asleep with the TV on - £26.16 per year
Lights being left on (bathroom, hallway and outside lights) - £17.40 per year
Games console on standby - £13.08 per year
Baby monitors - £8.76 per year
Tablet on charge - £4.32 per year
Smart phone on charge - £1.75 per year
Smart Speaker on standby (Google Home/Amazon Echo) - £1.40 per year
TV on standby - £0.45 per year
How to save energy at home?
There are so many ways you can save energy at home which ultimately benefits the environment and your pocket. Here's what people in Wales think about energy bills rocketing.
Here are just a few ways you can reduce your overnight energy output:
- Do not sleep with the heating on: Having the central heating on during the night in the winter months can add as much as £544.20 per year to your bill. Not only is it expensive, it’s not recommended by doctors as it causes a restless night’s sleep as our bodies can overheat much more quickly.
- Turn off games consoles: When a games console is left on standby overnight. Research shows that it could add just over £13 to an annual bill. Whilst this may not seem like a massive amount, turning it off overnight – as you definitely won’t be playing it whilst asleep – is one of the easiest ways to save on energy use.
- “Alexa, turn off”: Whilst a smart speaker does not use much energy whilst in standby mode, you most likely won’t be speaking to ‘Alexa’ and ‘Google’ overnight, so one easy way to shave a small amount off your energy bill is turning them off fully.
- Swap your lights: Having three sets of lights on in your home overnight could add as much as £52.20 to your annual amount. This may be the biggest issue for parents specifically as children often want lights in the home when it’s dark outside. One good alternative in this situation could be a nightlight. An night light usually uses around 10 watts – 30 less than an average lightbulb – making it an effective cheaper alternative.
- Turn off the WiFi: Whilst your WiFi is whirring away overnight, it can tally up an additional £4.32 over the course of a year. And whilst it might seem unorthodox to turn off the box altogether, you won’t be using it whilst you’re asleep.
Here are just a few other ways you can reduce your overall energy output:
- Wash clothes at a lower temperature
- Use the eco setting on your dishwasher
- Keep your fridge between 1 and 5 degrees celsius
- Turn your devices off where you can
- Replace halogen bulbs with LEDs
- Turn lights off when you leave the room
- Don’t overfill the kettle
- Avoid the tumble dryer
- 4 minute showers
- Insulate your hot water cylinder
- Draught proof gaps
- Reduce water consumption
- Switch to double glazing
- Use a smart meter
- Choose energy efficient appliances
Of course, it is important to take into account that energy costs can vary greatly depending on where you live and individual usage. If appliances have a higher or lower power rating then that will also affect energy costs.
