Busy Brits suffering from ‘Pre-Holi-Daze’

Almost one in four (23%) Brits are forgetting to unplug their household gadgets and appliances before setting off on holiday, according to new research from E.ON.

The findings also reveal that the ‘Pre-Holi-Daze' extends to leaving passports and travel documents at home (7%), forgetting to lock the house (5%) and some even failing to feed their pets (2%).
 
The biggest energy wasters are 18-to-24 year-olds, with almost a third (28%) admitting that they simply ‘forgot' to unplug before packing their bags and leaving the house.
 
Beverly Maguire, E.ON's Energy Fitness Instructor, said: "Everybody loves a holiday but the lead up can be chaotic making it only too easy to forget to carry out those pre-holiday checks.

"Unplugging your telly is quick to do and could save you cash for your next trip, so we'd urge everyone to switch off before they set off. To make even more savings, take our Energy Fit Survey when you get back too."

The most common items left plugged-in or on standby by holidaying Brits are:

TVs (31%)
Microwaves (30%)
Portable household phones (29%)
Alarm clocks (28%)
DVD players (19%)

East Anglian holidaymakers admitted to leaving the highest number of electrical items plugged-in while on holiday, closely followed by London and the East Midlands. Those in Northern Ireland were the most energy savvy, leaving the least number of electrical items plugged-in, followed closely by the North East and Scotland.

Bob Atkinson, Travel Expert at travelsupermarket.com, said: "Brits are fantastic at searching out the best holiday deals but are throwing away their hard-earned cash by keeping electrical items on charge when on holiday.

"By taking a few simple steps before you go away, you could be saving money for your next holiday, while you are on holiday.''
 
To keep your home ticking over and save energy and cash while on holiday follow E.ON's Top Energy Fit Summer Switch-Off Tips:

1. Unplug all electrical appliances at the wall -TVs, microwaves, radios and cookers all use a substantial amount of energy in standby mode;

2. Don't defrost your fridge or freezer - it costs more to restart them than keep them running at their normal pace;

3. Set your fridge to 5°C and freezers to -17°C - this is the optimum temperature recommended to cut bills;

4. Turn off your heating completely. Leaving the heating on a low setting all the time isn't cheaper than turning it on when you need it;

5. Check your water system to ensure you haven't left your hot water on a longer winter setting.
 
E.ON launched its Energy Fit Survey last year, which gives people tailored recommendations on the changes they can make at home to start saving energy and money. Since then more than half a million Brits have visited the site. To take the survey and see how much you could save, visit eonenergyfit.com.