'Energy

Jun 13, 2023

Leaving certain "vampire" devices on standby could mean hundreds of pounds are piled on to your energy bills.

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Trying to save a bit of money around the house in on the forefront of everyone's minds at the moment, with the cost of living crisis still putting pressure on households.

And there are some good habits you can introduce in order to save on energy bills, which remain high despite the Ofcom price cap dropping.

One of these is to keep an eye on the appliances at home and unplugging them whenever they're not in use. Some things, like fridges and routers, should always be kept on - but switching others off could mean you end up saving money.

For those looking to save as much money as possible as we head into the colder months, one energy expert has revealed the top 'energy-sucking' appliances that should always be turned off at the wall, the Express writes.

Ian Palmer-Smith, appliance expert at Domestic & General, says that leaving things on at the plug can mean extra pounds are added to your bills, which isn't ideal when pressure is already high.

He said: “Some think that simply turning them off is sufficient, but there are many electrical products that continue to use power when left plugged in - these are often called ‘vampire devices’.”

The expert agreed that the “most common vampire devices” found in homes include washing machines, dishwashers, tumble dryers, TVs and microwaves.

As well this, other "energy-sucking appliances" included computer monitors, printers and coffee machines - but why is this the case?

Ian claimed: “Appliances that need to heat water use a lot of energy – which is why dishwashers, washing machines and kettles score so highly on energy consumption.

“They use more energy than others on standby as they need to be ready to heat water instantly, on demand."

In order to save money, you should unplug these devices completely or switch them off at the wall. Leaving them on standby still means they're using electricity.

The expert clarified: "Any appliance that’s still switched on or that stays plugged into a live socket, is using an electric current.

“Even in sleep or standby modes, some items continue to use energy for updates, connecting to remote servers, and recording data. The only way to ensure you’re not using any energy is to turn it off at the plug – or pull it out."

However, certain appliances that use up a lot of energy should "never" be turned off under any circumstances.

Ian warned: “Whilst fridge freezers contribute around 12 percent to a household energy bill, you shouldn’t turn off or unplug this before a holiday as this will cause the fridge to defrost and also potentially result in a smelly kitchen."

Experts at Ovo Energy agree that switching appliances off at the wall is the best way to ensure they're not using any vampire power.

They said: "Plugs with unconnected chargers will use a little power, but the amount is very small. If there’s nothing plugged into a plug socket, then it won’t use any electricity, even if it’s switched on."

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