New research from British Gas reveals that UK households are spending £2.2 billion annually just for the privilege of leaving ‘vampire devices’ on standby; vampire devices are electronics that drain a significant amount of power even when they are on standby and not being used. This means that the average household is forking out an extra £147 a year – equivalent to two months’ electricity costs.
With a 54% rise in the energy price cap, households across the country will now pay £1,971 a year on gas and electricity. Mark Sait, CEO and Founder of sustainability and money-saving consultancy – SaveMoneyCutCarbon (SMCC) – says one of the main contributors to high energy bills is leaving devices plugged in. He explains that while some homes can have up to 40 gadgets constantly draining power, some appliances use more energy when on standby than others. Game consoles are the worst energy vampires – leaving them on standby uses almost as much electricity as when you’re playing. Research shows that game consoles are costing British households £231 million a year, while TVs and other entertainment appliances account for around 25% of an electricity bill.
Currently, 45% of British households leave appliances on standby, while 38% leave appliances turned on at the wall. Sait discusses the various tips that can assist with lowering vampire energy in the home:
1. Charge your phone in the evening, not overnight
A phone charger that is plugged in at the wall is slowly draining power; therefore, if it’s plugged in to charge every single night, it is likely adding additional costs to your energy bill. It’s good to get into the habit of charging your devices for a couple of hours in the evenings rather than overnight and unplug your chargers afterwards.
2. Use a smart plug
Using smart plugs will provide you with more flexibility and control. For example, if you connect a games console or a TV to a smart plug, you can ensure it’s turned off by using your phone – you’ll never have to squeeze behind furniture and a mountain of cables just to turn off the switches. You also remove the anxiety of thinking “did I turn the TV off?” when going on holiday by one click on your phone.
Energy and cost-saving products for the home can be found on SMCC’s e-commerce home shop, and can contribute to saving hundreds off the yearly electricity bill.
3. Check how energy efficient your fridge freezer is
It’s definitely worth checking how energy efficient your fridge freezer is – and if it’s an older model, consider replacing it with a C or higher model. The older it is, the more likely that it is not running at optimum efficiency so will be using more electricity than necessary.
