UK households waste nearly £1 billion by leaving appliances on standby

With four million UK households living in fuel poverty, new research from Gocompare.com Energy has found that items left on standby waste enough energy to heat 5,000 homes per year.

The figures come as Gocompare.com research also reveals that 77% of homeowners will be forced to ration their energy usage this winter.

Fuel poverty is a major issue for the UK with National Energy Action (NEA) estimating that   just over one in 10 (10.6%) households in England alone are fuel poor.

Additionally, more than a third (35%) of Scottish households, nearly a quarter (23%) of Welsh households and two in five (42%)  Northern Irish homes are also defined as fuel poor.

The research shows that standby energy wasted by households each year could be enough to heat some of the UK’s most fuel poor households for several years.

For instance, the amount of standby energy wasted per year by the UK could heat all fuel poor homes on the Isles of Scilly for just under 24 years. Likewise, the energy wasted by the nation could heat over 80% of affected homes in the UK’s most fuel poor area, the Orkney Islands, for a year. 

Ben Wilson, spokesperson for Gocompare.com Energy, commented: “For many people, energy bills represent a significant proportion of their household expenditure and turning appliances off instead of leaving them on standby is a quick way to save energy and money.

“Most appliances come with a standby function that allows them to be turned on quickly, but for this convenience they also continue to use energy. More recent additions to households, such as broadband routers, also require electricity whilst not in use, adding to your overall energy consumption. The increased number of appliances in the home can see electricity consumption gradually creep up over the year.

“We’re entering the peak period for energy usage and consequently higher fuel bills.But instead of going without - now is the perfect time to review your energy consumption and consider your energy options.

“Another easy step to save money on your energy bill is to shop around and switch supplier. Finding a new energy supplier is easy to do and just takes few minutes online. On average people who switch energy supplier through Gocompare.com can save as much as £366, so it’s well worth taking a few minutes to see if you could save.