The real cost of overnight energy use 

Having electric appliances on or on standby all night can add over £1,000 to a yearly bill. 

Energy bills are rising across the UK and many households will be looking for ways to cut back on costs.

The cost of running electrical appliances is set to increase in April 2022, with the energy price cap increasing for approximately 22 million people in the UK after wholesale prices have quadrupled in the last year.

Whilst the price increases are unavoidable, small things that can be done to alleviate expenses. New data has shown how much energy could be wasted when appliances are left on, or on standby overnight whilst people are asleep. 

Prior to the new price cap next month, JustServicesGroup.com has looked at how much this can add to an energy bill each year, and how easily these additional costs can be avoided. 

While plugging in devices to charge overnight is often unavoidable, games consoles, Wifi, smart speakers and TVs normally left on standby could all be switched off to save some money on a monthly and yearly bill. 

The overall cost of appliances being on (or on standby) overnight was an additional £1,011.93 per year, an average of £84.33 per month. 
Electrical appliances have a power rating, usually given in watts (W) or kilowatts (kW), which denotes  how much electricity it needs to work.

To work out the added cost of leaving devices on overnight, JustServicesGroup.com looked at the Wattage (W) household appliances that could potentially be switched off overnight – and calculated how much they cost to run for a month and a year. 

The appliances included in the research, and how much they cost for eight hours a day for a year were:

1. Oil filled radiator – £544.20 (seasonal six months of the year)
2. Dehumidifier – £304.80 per year 
3. Heating blanket – £87.12 (seasonal six months of the year)
4. Fan – £30.48 (three months of the year) 
5. Falling asleep with the TV on – £26.16 per year 
6. Lights being left on (bathroom, hallway and outside lights) – £17.40 per year 
7. Games console on standby – £13.08 per year 
8. Baby monitors – £8.76 per year 
9. WiFi (Broadband router) – £4.32 per year
10. Tablet on charge – £4.32 per year 
11. Smart phone on charge – £1.75 per year 
12. Smart Speaker on standby (Google Home/Amazon Echo) – £1.40 per year
13. TV on standby – £0.45 per year

The research showed that oil filled radiators used the most energy – with an average power rating of 1,500W – 2,500W – and therefore cost the most when left on for eight hours per night. A heating system with the highest energy use (2,500W) will add around £544.20 to a yearly bill if left on for eight hours per night, six months over the winter.  Dehumidifiers are regularly used to help soothe common problems caused by dry indoor air, with many people leaving them overnight to work their magic. However with an energy usage of around 300W – 700W, leaving a dehumidifier on could be adding over £300 to a year-long bill. 

When a games console is left on standby overnight, it could add just over £13 to an annual bill. Whilst this may not seem like a massive amount, turning it off overnight is one of the easiest ways to save on energy use.  The research showed that, at between 2.5W – 5W,  charging a smartphone overnight costs £1.75 per year – the least out of all the appliances on the list. 

Co-founder of JustServicesGroup.com Chris Burls said: “The increase of energy bills is unavoidable and is causing immense financial strain for many households. Whilst turning these things off overnight may not resolve the burden of the price cap increase, making minor changes in day to day habits can have a benefit to monthly and yearly costs.”   

Individual consumers should take into account that energy costs can vary greatly depending on where they live and individual usage.

If appliances have a higher or lower power rating that will also affect energy costs. These costs will also be higher once the energy price cap increases in April.