There are certain ‘vampire devices’ in the home that could be costing households hundreds of pounds on their energy bill
UK billpayers are bracing themselves as they start receiving their new energy bills, following Ofgem’s decision to hike the energy price cap at the beginning of October. The energy watchdog confirmed a 2% increase in the energy price cap, taking it up to £1,755 for a typical dual-fuel household.
This means that many households will be shelling out more on their energy bills during a period when gas and electricity usage typically spikes to keep homes warm. It’s worth noting that some households may pay more or less than the energy price cap annually, depending on their consumption.
As households scramble to find ways to offset these higher energy costs, simply switching off certain ‘vampire devices’ could save hundreds of pounds each year. These devices earn their spooky moniker by consuming electricity even when they’re supposedly ‘turned off’.
This means that while they’re not in use, they could still be racking up your energy bill. Luckily, you can put a stop to this by simply turning off these devices at the plug when they’re not in use.
Top ‘vampire devices’ in your home
A host of devices fall into the ‘vampire device’ category, but there are some which are particularly costly to leave on when not in use. This can include the following.
Kettles – £71
A study conducted by Confused.com, which surveyed 2,000 British homeowners or renters who are at least partially responsible for energy bills, discovered that kettles could be one of the most unexpectedly severe energy-draining devices in your kitchen. The research suggested that in most households, a kettle is plugged in and used for roughly 4.7 hours each day.
This resulted in the total cost of a few cups of tea reaching as high as £4.79 per day, or around £140 a month. However, according to Utilita’s Power Price list, the running cost of a kettle is just £0.05 per use or £71.76 per year.
On the other hand, the Centre for Sustainable Energy suggests that a kettle, with an average power rating of 3,000 watts, costs 14p per 10 minutes of use.
Television – over £24
The standby cost of a television can vary significantly depending on its energy-efficiency rating. However, research from British Gas found that people could be spending as much as £24.61 per year just leaving their television on standby.
The same research discovered that on average, people leave their television on standby for 19.9 hours each day. However, data from Which? suggests that the annual standby cost of a television is significantly lower at just 51p.
Wi-fi router – over £50
If you’re a regular internet user at home, chances are you rarely switch off your wi-fi router, even when you’re out and about. Indeed, with so many devices reliant on a wi-fi connection to function properly, it might seem like a hassle to turn off your router.
However, 2024 data from ISPreview revealed that some idle wi-fi routers could cost as much as £26.57, and up to £58.43 when heavily used. This was based on the January 2024 energy price cap, while Zen’s data suggests that a typical router using between 5 and 20 watts of power could set you back anywhere between £10 and £50 annually.
Bear in mind, though, that your wi-fi router’s usage cost will significantly depend on the manufacturer, how much you use it, its age, and its energy efficiency design.
Computer – £86
Even if you frequently use your computer, especially for working from home, you could still be accumulating costs even when you think it’s fully switched off. Many components inside a computer continue to draw power even when the system is turned off, particularly the power supply unit (PSU).
Quotezone research indicates that people could be shelling out as much as £86 annually just by not turning their computer off at the plug. However, British Gas data suggests that people could be spending significantly less, at just £11.22 per year.