Bad habits burning energy and money
With energy bills hitting new highs, new research by uSwitch.com, the independent price comparison and switching service, reveals that 30 million of us (62%) are throwing money down the drain by wasting energy. Almost two thirds (62%) of consumers are leaving their electrical items on standby, using up more electricity and money than needed.
Our biggest culprits are our set top boxes, with almost six in ten people (59%) admitting to at least occasionally leaving it on when not in use, while a quarter (26%) even say they leave it on all the time. And consumers aren't much better when it comes to other home entertainment - half (50%) leave their TV on standby and almost three in ten (28%) keep their games console on when it's not being used.
Shockingly, one in 13 (8%) people believe as long as they don't use an electrical item, it doesn't use electricity even if it is still plugged in and turned on. Further to this, 5% also think switching an item off by remote control means it's off so won't be using electricity.
Leaving a mobile phone to charge overnight may be easy to do, but once it's fully charged, leaving it plugged in wastes as much energy as watching a week of TV. However, more than half (53%) of us plug their mobiles in to charge when they go to bed. Over half (53%) of consumers leaving the lights on when they leave a room.
Kevin Sears, energy efficiency expert at uSwitch.com, comments: "In the face of rising energy bills and our increasing love affair with gadgets, consumers can no longer afford to throw money away by wasting energy. Being more energy efficient is a simple and painless way to cut your bills, which many will be worried about this winter.
"Energy efficiency can start with simple steps such as turning things off when they are not in use or using a standby saver, while using an energy monitor will track your usage and help you understand where your energy goes. The bigger steps, such as insulating your home or installing a new energy efficient boiler are more costly, but arguably deliver a greater return. However before taking these it's worth speaking to your energy supplier to see what advice they can give and to find out whether you would qualify for any financial support to help you with the cost."