State pensioners who won’t be getting a £300 Winter Fuel Payment in December are being urged to make sure they unplug two energy guzzling appliances which add money to bills even when doing nothing.
Energy prices have already gone up 10 percent going into this winter and will rise another 1.2 percent in January. At the same time, state pensioners not on Pension Credit are facing the higher prices without a £300 Winter Fuel Payment.
And now consumer magazine Which? has shared one way to cut costs this winter – by unplugging items which use a surprising amount of electricity, adding money to your bill, even when they’re not doing anything.
While everyone is aware of how much it costs to run high energy use appliances like tumble dryers, ovens or the boiler, at least all of these items are contributing something useful to your home.
By contrast, there are some appliances which simply sit on standby and slap money on your bill, even when they’re not doing anything at all.
According to Which?, wireless speakers/smart speakers and sound bars are bad for guzzling energy on standby.
It said: “They’re the most power-hungry gadgets in standby, costing around £6 per year (based on 20 standby hours per day).”
£6 may not sound a lot, but it’s £6 per speaker without being used.
Other appliances worth checking are PCs, games consoles and TVs. Most such devices are effectively designed to never be fully switched off, and instead sit on standby so that they can be turned on at a moment’s notice.
But because of modern design, a PC takes only a few more seconds to start up from a cold start than it does to come off standby, so you’re really gaining nothing by leaving it on standby other than adding more money to your bills.
Modern TVs have no on/off switch at all, remaining in standby forever.
According to numbers from EcocostSavings, a TV left on standby all year will cost about £12, just for using 1.3 watts an hour every day, all year. If you have two or three TVs in the house though, that can rise to £24 or £36 per year. Combine with a TV box such as a recorder or Sky box, and the number will be even higher and again, this is money for nothing.
Instead, switch your TV off at the wall every time it’s not in use.
It comes at a time state pensioners will lose their £300 Winter Fuel Payment unless they are on Pension Credit – and as many as 800,000 people aren’t even claiming that when they should be, according to Martin Lewis.
