14 ‘vampire appliances’ adding £100 to your bill every year

With the weather warming up, the need to keep heating on becomes less, and you might be hoping your energy bills reflect that. However, there are certain appliances that suck so much power without you even knowing it that experts have dubbed them ‘vampire appliances’.

These vampire appliances could be costing you £100 every year without you realising. Stephen Day, a home energy expert and heating engineer at iHeat, explains why this happens. He said: “Most people have no idea that TVs, gaming consoles, and even kitchen appliances keep drawing power when they’re not in use. That little red standby light on your TV or the digital clock on a microwave – it seems harmless, right? But over a year, it adds up fast.”

TVs are one of the main offenders – it might be switched off, but unless it’s off at the wall then a single TV could cost you around £5 – 10 a year in wasted energy depending on the model.

Gaming consoles like the PlayStation 5 aren’t any better – they can add up to £8 annually just sitting idle.

Chargers for phones, laptops and tablets also continue to draw power when left on at the wall, even if they’re not charging anything.  

The kitchen also hides more of these sneaky power-sucking devices. Microwaves with digital clocks, coffee machines, and even kettles quietly use energy 24/7.

And it’s not just kitchen gadgets – smart speakers, Wi-Fi routers, and even smart plugs are constantly pulling power.

Stephen said: “It’s not just about one device. It’s the fact that you’ve got multiple appliances doing this, all day, every day. That’s where the real cost comes in.”

It’s not all bad news though – there are simple fixes you can put in place to save some serious cash.

Stephen said: “Start with the basics – switch off appliances at the socket when you’re not using them, and unplug chargers once your devices are fully charged.

“Smart plugs or timers can make life easier by cutting off power to devices when you don’t need them.”

“Most TVs and gaming consoles now have eco-modes. It takes two minutes to set them up, and you could save a decent chunk over the year.”

Switching to energy efficient bulbs and appliances can also be a huge help – it can be pricey at first, but the savings add up over time.

Stephen said: “Energy prices aren’t going down anytime soon. But small changes – like turning off a few appliances at the socket or using a smart plug – really do add up over the year. It’s easy money.”

The full list of ‘vampire appliances’ and their costs are below.