Schools across Scotland are breaking up for the Easter holidays which means two weeks of the kids being at home - if you’re not planning a spring getaway to enjoy the milder weather.
However, the break also means more people staying at home just as the energy price cap kicks in, which could possibly put additional pressure on families trying to stick to a budget, especially when it comes to gas and electricity bills.
And now the Loop energy-saving app has calculated that a family of four could possibly add nearly £80 to their energy bills over the Easter holidays, simply because more people are in the house during the day.
Steve Buckley, head of data at Loop, explains: “The Easter holidays will hit just after the energy price cap increase on 1st April, so many families are looking for ways to cut back on their spending.
“The school holidays can take a toll on parent’s purse strings as they look for ways to keep the kids entertained whilst they’re off school. But this year, costly family outings, holidays and treats may be off the cards for many families due to the cost-of-living crisis.”
He continued: “But simply staying at home doesn’t come for free. We explored some typical costs of staying at home this Easter and found that parents can expect to add nearly £80 to energy bills with the kids at home over the Easter holidays.
“That’s £40 extra per week added onto a family’s energy bill by just having the kids in the house for two weeks ‘doing nothing’.”
Loop looked at basic costs such as extra heating and lighting as well as the cost of running gaming devices, computers and the TV to keep the kids entertained.
Steve warned: “By the time October half term comes along, having the kids home for the school holidays could add even more because of the second energy price cap rise. But it doesn’t have to.
“You can turn your kids into energy-saving heroes and encourage them to turn off lights and devices when they are not using them.”
Potential cost of the Easter holidays
- Heating on for extra 2 hours per day - £49.84
- Electric underfloor heating 1 hr extra per day -£11.85
- Lights on in 2 extra rooms (Two 60w lights left on 5hrs) £5.68
- Desktop computers - £3.03
- Playing Xbox or PlayStation for 5 hours per day - £2.97
- Watching streaming TV services for 3 hours per day - £1.09
- Charging 4 mobile phones each day of the holidays - £0.90
- Laptop computers - £0.77
- Total for 2 weeks of Easter holidays - £76.13
The Loop app links to your smart meter, analyses your energy data and suggests easy ways to make savings.
To keep up to date with the energy crisis, join our Money Saving Scotland Facebook group here, follow Record Money on Twitter here, or subscribe to our twice weekly newsletter here.
