Reduce energy bills by 'never' leaving 3 'worst energy-sucking' home appliances on standby

are forecasted to fall in July, reversing three consecutive increases in regulator price cap. The annual bill of a household using a typical amount of gas and electricity will fall by £166 a year, a drop of nearly 9%, analysts at the consultancy Cornwall Insight have predicted.

Households could also pocket an extra £60 annually by simply switching off devices not in use and left on standby, according to the experts at the Energy Saving Trust. When electrical are on standby, they enter a sort of slumber state. They're not entirely switched off but rather powered down into an -conserving mode when idle. This feature allows for quick reactivation when needed. However, it also means these devices continue to consume energy even when you might prefer them not to, according to experts at Ovo Energy.

The term 'vampire power' or 'vampire energy', sometimes referred to as 'phantom power', describes the electricity consumed by your devices when they're not actively in use. The energy specialists have identified some of the "worst energy-sucking offenders to never leave on standby".

1. TV

Older televisions were infamous for their high electricity usage. However, modern TVs, despite their larger size, tend to be less energy-intensive than their predecessors.

Nevertheless, TVs do draw a small amount of vampire energy when on standby, so it's always advisable to turn them off at the wall when not in use.

2. Game console

Ovo Energy has issued a stark warning about game consoles, labelling them as "one of the worst energy-sucking vampire devices" due to their standby mode, which consumes power to stay alert for software updates and commands.

Confused.com's research reveals that game consoles on standby are costing British households a whopping £231 million annually.

The experts advised: "The best way to stop this is by turning the plug off at the wall, but if that's a problem, then most consoles have an 'energy saving mode'.

"This will stop the device from doing things like checking for updates or messages while it's on standby. Check your console's instruction manual to find out how to activate this (usually by adjusting your settings)."

3. Mobile phone charger

Even without a phone connected, a charger left in the socket continues to use a small amount of electricity. However, the consumption is so minimal that it's almost undetectable on an energy monitor when the charger is plugged into the wall alone.

Yet for those who leave their phone on the charger after it reaches 100%, they might be inadvertently "using more energy" than necessary. This is because the charger continues to "keep using the same amount of electricity as long as your phone is plugged into it" - irrespective of whether the battery is fully charged or not.