Seven ghost appliances that are costing you a fortune plugged in – can you save £465 with quick move?
THE warmer weather has finally started arriving but certain summer appliances could be driving up costs unnecessarily.
You might think that switching off the heating in June, July and August would see your energy bills fall.
But certain “ghost” or “vampire” devices can still cost you money when not being used but still plugged in.
The Sun asked Ben Gallizzi, energy expert at Uswitch, to crunch the numbers on the most costly of these gadgets.
He said use them all, and they could cost you up to £465 extra on your energy bills every month.
Ben said: “One of the biggest mistakes households can make is forgetting to switch off and unplug appliances that aren’t in use, and leaving devices on standby.
“People should look around their home and think carefully about items that are placing an unnecessary drain on their energy, as there are plenty of small wins to be had this summer.”
Of course, how much you will pay extra actually depends on how much you use the appliance and what make and model you have.
From games consoles to outdoor lights and hot tubs, here is how much you could be forking out unnecessarily.
Phone charger – 40p a month
We all need them, but leaving your phone charger plugged in while not actually juicing up your handset is costing you.
Charging your phone uses five watts of electricity which isn’t a lot and it only takes roughly two to three hours to fully charge one up.
But plenty of people leave their phone plugged in overnight which can see bills rack up needlessly.
Ben said: “The cost of doing so for 12 hours a day adds up to £4.88 a year and nearly £10 for the average 24-month contract.”
Hot tub – £300 a month
Hot tubs are the most energy-guzzling appliances in your garden, using up to two kilowatts of energy.
What energy bill help is available?
THERE'S a number of different ways to get help paying your energy bills if you're struggling to get by.
If you fall into debt, you can always approach your supplier to see if they can put you on a repayment plan before putting you on a prepayment meter.
This involves paying off what you owe in instalments over a set period.
If your supplier offers you a repayment plan you don’t think you can afford, speak to them again to see if you can negotiate a better deal.
Several energy firms have grant schemes available to customers struggling to cover their bills.
But eligibility criteria varies depending on the supplier and the amount you can get depends on your financial circumstances.
For example, British Gas or Scottish Gas customers struggling to pay their energy bills can get grants worth up to £2,000.
British Gas also offers help via its British Gas Energy Trust and Individuals Family Fund.
You don’t need to be a British Gas customer to apply for the second fund.
EDF, E.ON, Octopus Energy and Scottish Power all offer grants to struggling customers too.
Thousands of vulnerable households are missing out on extra help and protections by not signing up to the Priority Services Register (PSR).
The service helps support vulnerable households, such as those who are elderly or ill, and some of the perks include being given advance warning of blackouts, free gas safety checks and extra support if you’re struggling.
Get in touch with your energy firm to see if you can apply.
Plenty of people leave theirs on to save from the hassle of waiting for it to turn it on and off again.
But doing this will set you back around £75 a week, Ben said.
“Leaving your hot tub running for 24 hours will cost you £10.73 a day, or the equivalent of £75.13 a week.”
Pedestal fan – £9 a month
Plenty rely on upright fans over the warmer months to stay cool in the heat.
It can be tempting to leave one on overnight to keep you cool in bed too, but this will soon see electricity bills go up.
Ben said: “Leaving one on for nine hours at a time would cost you 12p, while for 24 hours use it would add up to 32p.”
Built-in air conditioning – £152 a month
Others prefer to use built-in air conditioning units to keep from overheating over the summer months.
But the devices are major fuel-guzzlers, using 2.7kilowatts of energy and churning through electricity.
Ben said: “Using 2.7 kilowatts of energy, it will cost you £5.43 to run for nine hours overnight or £14.49 for a 24-hour stretch.”
TV – 70p a month
Don’t get lazy and leave your TV on standby overnight.
They only use five watts of energy when they are almost completely switched off, but costs can add up fast.
Ben said: “TVs left on standby for 16 hours a day — using 5 watts of energy — could cost you 16p a day or £8.49 a year.”
Games consoles – 44p
Even in standby mode, games consoles eat through electricity at a fast rate, depending on what’s plugged into them.
Ben said: “The Playstation 5, for example, only uses 0.38 watts when it is in low power mode.
“However, it can use four watts if it is supplying power to USB ports, such as when charging controllers, which would cost you £5.28 a year if left on for 16 hours a day.”
Outdoor lights – £2.84
Outdoor lighting can make your garden sparkle during the summer when you’ve got friends and family over.
But if left plugged in for long enough they can see costs add up quick time.
Ben explained: “Outdoor lighting can use 35 watts of energy to run and costs 66p to keep on for 12 hours a day, 7 days a week or £34.18 over the course of a year.”
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