UK homes could save around £147 a year each on energy bills by switching off their 'vampire devices'.
These are appliances which drain power even when you are not using them .
This is because so long as they are plugged in, they draw a small amount of energy - but it all adds up, especially with energy bills so high .
Devices like laptops, broadband routers and smart speaks all use energy in this way.
As long as devices are plugged in at the wall, they are slowly drawing power - even if you think they are switched off.
For example, in standby mode TVs use a small amount of power to make them quicker to turn on.
That might be convenient, but it is costing you money.
British Gas research shows UK households spend £3.16billion a year when leaving vampire devices on standby, the BBC reports.
This adds up to £147 a year for the average household - or up to £297 for some homes .
Ten vampire appliances you can switch off - and how much they cost you
- Hi-Fi system on standby - £73 a year
- Sky box on standby - £73 a year
- Laptop charger not in use - £60 a year
- TV on standby- £10 to £24 a year
- Microwave - £16 a year
- Games consoles - £12 a year
- Computer - £11 a year
- Printer on standby - £3 to £10 a year
- Washing machine - £5 a year
- Phone charger - £1.60 to £2 a year
British Gas energy expert Marc Robson told the BBC an easy way to keep energy costs for vampire devices down is to plug them in to an extension lead and switching that off at night.
For the more tech-savvy, you can also buy 'smart plugs' that check if devices are turned off for you.
You can monitor the smart plug from your mobile phone.
The financial blogger Mrs Mummypenny has given The Mirror some other money-saving tips to help whittle down your energy bills.
She managed to save £80 per year by turning her thermostat down by just one degree.
Her other top tips included:
- I bought a shower timer and asked everyone in the family to shower for five minutes a day only. This resulted in an £80 a year saving.
- I have totally stopped using the tumble dryer, using a clothes airer instead. Each tumble dryer cycle was costing around £1, prudently assuming I used it twice a week, this is a saving of £104 a year.
- All appliances are switched off at the wall, nothing is left on standby. This minor change saves around £30 per year.
- A super simple change is to only boil the kettle for the one or two cups of tea/coffee you are making. This has saved around £7 per year.
There are lots of other changes you can make to save energy usage and reduce bills too.
- Convert all your lightbulbs to low energy bulbs.
- Ensure lights are always switched off in rooms not being used. Something that took a while of nagging the children to change their habits.
- The oven, hob and microwave all use a lot of energy. Consider a slow cooker where you can
- make money saving meals and save energy.
- If you are using your oven, batch cook bigger quantities of food. Make the most of the time the oven is switched on.
