As the cost of living crisis continues to bite, many households across Ireland are seeking practical ways to make their hard-earned euros stretch further.
It comes as the autumn and winter months approach - seasons which are notorious for increased energy consumption, and therefore higher bills.
Experts have pinpointed one simple yet effective strategy that can put extra money back in pockets, which is turning standby mode off for certain devices.
The modern home is full of electrical devices. Some appliances like fridges and freezers should never be turned off. They are a constant drain on electricity and other than making sure to have energy-efficient versions, there is little anyone can do to reduce their power usage, other than opening them as infrequently as possible.
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However, there are potential savings to be made from the often overlooked practice of turning suitable devices off standby mode.
For anyone heading on holiday, or just wanting to save money on energy bills, an appliance expert has listed the “worst appliances” that households should “never leave on standby” - and has answered some common questions.
Ian Palmer-Smith from Domestic & General explained that leaving certain appliances on at the plug is likely to suck up some electricity.
But that’s not all as more often than not, it's necessary to unplug these items too, for the maximum energy-saving benefits, Express reports.
Ian argued: “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 appliance pro agreed that the “most common vampire devices” found in homes include washing machines, dishwashers, tumble dryers, TVs and microwaves.
He added that computer monitors, printers and coffee machines are also the “most energy-sucking appliances”.
Explaining why these appliances are the most costly to leave on standby, 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."
These appliances should be unplugged entirely, or at least switched off at the plug, because only turning them off via remote or on their display will still use up 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."
That being said, there are a couple of household appliances that should “never be turned off”, despite them using up a lot of electricity.
Ian warned: “Whilst fridge freezers contribute around 12 per cent 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.”
Worst 'energy- sucking' appliances and how much they cost
British Gas recently claimed Irish households could save €500 a year on energy bills by turning 'vampire appliances' off standby mode.
Common 'vampire appliances' include microwaves, game consoles, TVs and satellite and cable boxes.
The five worst 'vampire appliances' and their costs according to the average annual energy bill, are as follows.
- Hi-Fi system on standby - costing €162.40 a year
- Sky box on standby - costing €162.40 a year
- Laptop charger not in use - costing €131.06 a year
- TV on standby - costing €22.22 a year
- Printer on standby - costing €22.22 a year
The easiest way to stop 'vampire appliances' from using energy is to avoid using standby mode where possible. By doing this with the five devices listed above, Irish households could save €500.30 a year on energy bills.
Households should remember to unplug appliances or switch them off at the mains. For laptop chargers and other chargers, homes can save energy by ensuring they don't leave them plugged into the device once it has finished charging.
It can be handy to use extension leads for devices, as this means households can switch off lots of 'vampire appliances' at the mains at once rather than having to turn them off individually.
