Gas and electricity bills are expected to rise in April, which is leading to many households feeling anxious, but there could be one simple way to save as much as possible. James Elston, the director of Boiler Central, has shared that one habit that can increase bills is leaving certain home appliances on standby.
Certain devices around the home are more “energy-hungry” than others and can use up a lot of power if you forget to switch them off. James said: “The cost of living crisis has left many wondering how to save a few pounds where possible. One of the first things to look at is your appliances, as leaving them on standby mode could be costing you more than you think.”
What are the worst energy drains in your home?
Laptops
Most people use computers daily, but forgetting to turn them off can slowly increase electricity bills.
James said: “Running a 50W laptop for 8 hours a day costs about £5.60 a week, that’s £291 per year. On standby, your laptop only uses 3W so if left running 24/7 for a year will cost around £8.70.”
Not only does leaving a laptop plugged in waste energy, but it can also affect the battery life, so taking the time to switch it off will help keep your laptop working properly.
Mobile phone chargers or alarm clocks
It is easy to be forgetful if you are in a rush in the morning, but forgetting to switch off your charger or alarm clock can cost you money.
James said: “Keeping alarm clocks connected to the mains throughout the day could cost you about £5.96 a year.”
He added: “Charging an iPhone with the original charger uses about 5W of power, if you left it plugged in 24/7, it would set you back £14.89 per year.
“On standby, that same charger would use about 0.25W, meaning you’ll pay about £0.77 per charger per year. One thing to note is that this is for original chargers. Using cheap knockoffs can increase the wattage by 10 percent [to] 20%.”
Simply making sure to unplug everything before your day and then set everything up again in the evening will save you a small amount on your energy bill.
Fridges
James said: “You need your fridge/freezer running while in use; there are no two ways to do it. But did you know it costs about £893.62 a year to run a 300W fridge?
“So, while you can’t simply switch off your handy kitchen appliance, you can do some extra work to keep your energy bills down.”
It may seem bizarre to include fridges as you cannot switch them off, but they are one of the worst energy consumers in the kitchen, and simply cleaning them can help save you money.
Dust can build up over the condenser coils inside your fridge, which means it takes more energy to release heat and work properly.
Make sure to carefully wipe down the coils, the cooler at the back, and the seals on the fridge doors a few times a year to prevent energy waste and save money on your bills.