British families will use seven times the usual amount of electricity on Christmas Day – enough to watch Home Alone back-to-back 183 times, new research has found.
The average household will use an estimated 65k kWH (kilowatt-hours) of electricity on December 25 compared to eight to ten kWh on a normal day, according to EDF.
And while the majority will be used on the Christmas dinner – including cooking 14.6 million turkeys and 114 million pigs in blankets – two in five pet owners will be preparing a special meal for their pet.
Vanity will also send the electricity meter spinning, with ten per cent will be using LED face masks and ring lights for festive selfies.
And Brits are expected to brew a whopping 332 million cups of tea and coffee, enough to fill 32 Olympic-size swimming pools.
Families across the UK will spend an estimated 131 hours charging new devices on Christmas Day alone – from phones and tablets to games consoles and power 18.5 million dishwasher loads.
That’s a lot of electricity.
To help families enjoy the festivities, EDF is giving customers eight hours of free electricity from 8am to 4pm on Christmas Day, covering the hours when the nation’s electricity use hits its festive peak.
Customers can register for the free electricity offer from today by signing up to December’s Sunday Saver Challenge.
In addition to free power on Christmas Day, participants can earn up to 16 hours of free electricity across four Sundays (December 14, 21 and 28 and January 4) by shifting their weekday usage away from peak hours.
The opt-in window for the December challenge will close 11:59pm on November 30.
Anyone who misses this deadline for the December challenge, can still gain access to free power on Christmas Day by signing up before 11:59pm on December 24.
Rich Hughes, director of retail at EDF, said: “Christmas is a time for joy and togetherness – and we want to make sure nothing gets in the way of that.
“From cooking the turkey to lighting up your home and sharing countless cups of tea, the day is full of energy and celebration.
“That’s why we’re giving our customers eight hours of free electricity on Christmas Day – so families can power their festive traditions without worrying about the cost.”
