I'm an appliance expert – the common mistakes households make that increase bills by £100s a year | The Sun
WITH energy costs rising and temperatures at their lowest this winter so far, you may be wondering where you can cut back on your bills.
There are lots of appliances in your home which use electricity each day to run – but there might be ways you can make sure you're using these items more efficiently.
Otherwise, you might be making some costly mistakes.
You can find a full list of appliances and what they cost to run in our guide.
But there are some easy switches you can make today to limit the energy they are guzzling.
Jessica Forster, project manager at Energy Saving Trust, said: “We know that rising energy bills are a concern for many and a lot of people will have already made changes and adapted to cut back on using energy around the home.
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“Making a number of quick energy saving actions can add up to reduce energy use and in turn your bills.”
Here are her top tips:
Not unplugging chargers
Every charger, such as your phone, headphones or laptop, will draw a small amount of electricity, even if it’s not connected to the gadget, Jessica said.
This is because chargers contain a transformer – this is included in the rectangular plug piece which is why it is larger than a usual plug.
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This only amounts to a small pence over a year, but there is a bigger potential cost at stake, she explained.
She said: “More costly, perhaps, is the cost to replace.
“Electronics manufacturers suggest that leaving chargers turned on at the wall all the time can reduce the life of the charger.”
A genuine Apple iPhone charger could cost you as much as £38, if you want to buy the plug and the cable.
And replacing a laptop charger isn't cheap either: depending on the make and model of your computer, you could spend at least £15.
Not checking the mode
Next up, it's worth checking if there is a low-energy mode on an appliance, and turning this on.
You can do things such as turn the brightness down on your TV manually, Jessica suggested.
Other appliances with potential eco settings include washing machines and dishwashers.
According to British Gas engineer Joanna Flowers, you could save £10 a year from dialling your washing machine to the eco setting.
Not turning off appliances
You should also turn off certain appliances, instead of leaving them running in the background.
This could be things like smart speakers, desktops or TVs.
Jessica said: “Turning all appliances around your home off standby could save you around £65 a year.”
She also said you could buy a standby saver, which allows you to turn all your appliances off standby at once.
These can be bought for less than £15 online, such as on Amazon here.
Not considering when you use appliances
If you’re on a specific energy tariff, like Economy 7, you may get a cheaper rate of electricity at a certain time of day.
If that is the case, it is worth waiting to charge things such as phones or laptops until then.
During the rest of the day, your energy will be more expensive than a standard tariff.
Savvy saver Scott Dixon saves £725 a year by washing his clothes at night and showering in the early hours, amongst other things.
“If you’re not sure [about Economy 7 tariffs], check your electricity bill – if you only have one price per kilowatt hour then that’s the price you pay no matter the time,” Jessica explained.
Use appliances like dishwashers, washing machines and tumble dryers at night when electricity is cheaper – but only if you're up and about.
Don't run these appliances when you're asleep as they are a potential fire hazard.
Jessica also suggested waiting until your appliance needs to be charged, to avoid charging it unnecessarily.
“Most appliances that need charging have a battery indicator or low battery warning which will let you know when they need to be charged,” she added.
If you only charge your phone when you need to, it should only cost you around 85p a year, according to comparison site Uswitch.
That's based on charging it for two hours and 40 minutes a day.
But if you leave it charging for longer, for example overnight, then the cost could be much higher.
Wrong temperature for fridge and freezer
There is little value in leaving any sort of electrical appliance on if you’re not using it, apart from your fridge and freezer.
In fact, experts recommend you never turn off your fridge, as it could pose a serious risk to your health.
But there are ways to keep costs down – including setting it at the right temperature.
A fridge should be between 2°C to 6°C and a freezer should be less than -18°C, and typically -19°C to -20°C, but your user manual will tell you the exact setting it needs.
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How much this saves you depends on the size, style and energy efficiency rating of your appliance.
But a large fridge freezer could cost as much as £155 a year to run – so using it efficiently should stop the bill from going any higher.
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