UK households urged to 'unplug' eight items around house before Tuesday

UK households urged to 'unplug' eight items around house before Tuesday
-Credit: (Image: Reach Publishing Services Limited)


A home expert has shared the EIGHT "vampire appliances" you need to unplug to slash your energy bills. British Gas, OVO, EDF, EON and Octopus customers will be stung by a £149 hike to energy bills when Ofgem's new price cap comes into force on next Tuesday, October 1.

To help households combat the rising cost, an expert has listed the eight ''vampire appliances'' that are draining your power - and wallet. "Vampire'' devices are still ''guzzling up your energy'' and households are urged to ''never leave'' them ''on standby''.

Appliance expert Ian Palmer-Smith from Domestic and General said: "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’."

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He warned over the "most common vampire devices", which include washing machines, dishwashers, tumble dryers, TVs and microwaves. PCs, printers and coffee machines also are energy-sucking ''vampires'' too.

Ian noted: "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."

According to Energy UK, turning down your thermostat by just one degree Celsius could cut your heating bill by up to 10%, and save you around £85 per year. Plus, if you don’t have a thermostat, installing one could save up to £70 per year.

It comes after it was revealed that millions will be stung by a hefty £149 hike to energy bills when Ofgem's new price cap comes into force in weeks.On October 1, around 29million bill payers on their supplier's standard variable tariff will see their bills rise from £1,568 a year to £1,717 a year.