What are vampire devices and which are the worst you can leave on standby in terms of energy costs?
A vampire device is defined as an electronic device that uses electricity, even when the power switch is turned off and the device is in standby mode.
Unfortunately, even when you turn your devices off, they may still be drawing power for internal processing or for the Light Emitting Diodes (LEDs) they use (those little red lights).
So, which devices are the worst culprits in the UK? And how much may this cost you in terms of pounds and pence?
Here’s a tip: More and more people are switching to battery storage systems to benefit from lower off-peak tariffs, significantly cutting down their energy costs. Discover how you can start saving today — click here to learn more!
Worst appliances to leave on standby mode
In the infographic below, we have done a room-by-room tour of the average UK home, along with the most common vampire devices in each, showing the average annual costs.
The average UK home pays around £146.53 a year for the wasted energy on leaving devices in standby mode.
Televisions and satellite/TV boxes are the major culprits, followed by internet routers and microwaves.
This may not seem like much money, but together with other energy-saving tactics like adjusting your boiler flow temperature, these measures in combination can soon make a substantial difference.
In fact, according to energy company Centrica, the average UK household could save as much as £147 annually by simply pulling the plug on vampire devices.
How to ensure your Vampire Devices are truly "off"
Vampire devices use energy and draw power, even when in "standby mode".
Therefore, to ensure your device is truly switched off, you need to turn it off at the plug or unplug it.
If your plug and on/off switch is easily accessible then there's no need to unplug it, you can just turn it off at the switch.
To make things a little easier, you can plug all your devices into one extension lead so that you only have to deal with one plug and/or switch when it comes time to turn the devices off.
Recommended reading:
Where did we get the data from?
The data used in the infographic were provided by British Gas's parent company Centrica UK.
To calculate the figures British Gas used average costs of wattage from different manufacturers' average models when left on standby.
British Gas also asserts that these figures are also in line with the Energy Saving Trusts' own estimates.
However, one major difference between the two is the number of appliances used in the research...
The British Gas research is based on 13 standard appliances, but according to the Energy Saving Trust, the average household has 41 electrical appliances, so the total energy savings could be even higher than British Gas estimates.
