British Gas, OVO, EDF and Octopus customers warned of 'energy sucking devices' costing an extra £115 a year
Experts are warning that energy bills are likely to rise again
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British Gas, OVO, EDF, Octopus customers are urged to switch off four appliances or they risk losing £115.
With little to no effort, households can save extra cash just by switching off certain devices when they aren't being used.
Households could typically save £60-£70 a year just by switching off 'vampire devices', according to Energy Saving Trust.
Many households may be surprised to find just how many home appliances they have plugged in around their house that aren't necessary.
With summer holidays underway, many families will be trying their to tighten their belts financially as their kids may be running up food and electricity bills.
Energy experts have pinpointed the "worst appliances" people want to avoid leaving on standby for energy-saving purposes and tackled some common queries.
Households could typically save £60-£70 a year just by switching off 'vampire devices'
GETTYChris Saunders, household energy expert and founder of LoopEnergySaver.com explained that standby power is the electricity used by appliances when they’re switched off or on 'rest mode'.
Almost any product with an external power supply, or which charges batteries, will draw some power continuously unless shut down or switched off at the mains."
Smart speakers are known to drain a lot of energy on standby. Turning these off could save £52.
Brian Horne, technical knowledge lead at Energy Saving Trust, warned: "Regular standby power limits don’t apply to these devices, and therefore the smart device might be using several times as much electricity in standby mode compared to a non-smart equivalent."
Set-top boxes could be adding an extra £23 to yearly bills, according to forecasts by British Gas ahead of the energy price cap rise.
Only 60 per cent of people leave their TVs on standby, and this adds an extra £24 a year in electricity.
Microwaves, meanwhile, are adding £16 a year to our bills, the energy experts have gone to warn.
When added together, households could save £115.
Commenting on TV's, Saunders said: "It’s one of the main culprits for wasting energy on standby.
"If you have multiple television sets at home, this can add up quickly."
Other energy sucking appliances include washing machines, dishwashers, tumble dryers, computer monitors, printers and coffee machines.
Ian Palmer-Smith, expert at Domestic and General said: "Appliances that need to heat water use a lot of energy which is why dishwashers and washing machines 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."
"These appliances should be entirely unplugged, or at least switched off at the plug, because simply turning them off via remote or on their display will still consume electricity."