As the price of energy continues to impact households, British Gas has revealed the cost of leaving “vampire” electronics on standby, with an £147 saving per household possible every year.
British Gas has listed the most costly devices to leave on standby, with a TV costing £24.61 a year, closely followed by a set top box, or satellite box, at £23.10.
The research found that almost most one in five (16%) people are unaware that many household appliances use up electricity whilst not in use as under half (44%) only occasionally switch these appliances off. Over one in three (35%) said they wish they’d known devices were costing them money whilst on standby.
Almost two thirds (63%) said they will make more effort to switch their appliances off now they know they could save money, with three in four (75%) of those aged 55-64 saying they would switch off appliances to save money on bills, compared to just over one third (35%) of 18-24-year olds who found the idea less appealing.
However, over one in five (21%) said that they will continue to leave appliances on standby when inactive despite the fact it could save them money. Half (50%) said this was because the effort of switching them off isn’t worth the cost saving and one in five (20%) said they just don’t care.
British Gas energy expert Marc Robson said: “With household costs on the rise, there are some actions we can take to reduce our energy usage at home which will really help the bank balance and the environment. “Almost a third of total heating costs in the home are wasted through the roof and the walls and with vampire appliances, this figure is almost half of our electricity bills on wasted energy. Just switching some of these off can really help save straight away and those with a smart meter will be able to see the impact of this in real time. Turn it down or turn it off is a great motto for fighting the vampires.”
The top vampire devices and what they’re costing UK households:
| Appliance | % of people who said they leave appliance on standby | Average hours left on standby in a 24-hour period | Total Cost per year on standby |
| Set top box/ satellite | 87 | 19.8 | £23.10 |
| Modem/ internet router | 92 | 18.4 | £18.89 |
| Television | 61 | 19.9 | £24.61 |
| Microwave | 61 | 23 | £16.37 |
| Games Console | 80 | 22.2 | £12.17 |
| Computer | 79 | 20.9 | £11.22 |
| Smart speakers/ smart home devices | 90 | 21.9 | £8.94 |
| Shower | 81 | 22.7 | £9.80 |
| Dishwasher | 84 | 22.6 | £6.86 |
| Tumble dryer | 78 | 22.8 | £4.79 |
| Washing machine | 65 | 22.5 | £4.73 |
| Printer | 61 | 23.3 | £3.81 |
| Mobile device charger | 46 | 21.6 | £1.26 |
| Total | £146.53 |
