Parents across the country could face an additional £42 on their energy bills due to kids being at home for an extra six days in May, according to figures. The research comes from free smart meter app Loop.
It said that a combination of three bank holidays, a teachers’ strike and the start of the spring half term means kids will be out of school for an extra six days in May, putting parents under pressure to keep them entertained. These six days come quickly after the two-week Easter holiday, which it said added £98 to a family energy bill.
Loop said the combined cost of TVs, gaming consoles and extra heating and lighting could add £42 to energy bills over the six days in May, with heating alone costing a whopping £35 – and even more if temperatures don’t improve. While in more typical spring weather households could have expected heating costs to reduce, this may not be the case in the current chilly weather.
Following the end of the government’s £400 energy support scheme in April, Loop’s 'Energy Doctor' and head of data science, Steve Buckley, is calling on families to look at easy ways to save energy throughout the home during the month.
He said: “Having the kids at home can take a toll on parents’ purse strings as they look for ways to keep the kids entertained while they’re off school. But costly family outings, holidays and treats may be off the cards for many families due to the cost of living crisis.
“But simply staying at home doesn’t come for free. We explored the cost of staying at home and found that parents can expect to add just over £40 to their energy bills with the kids for these six days in May. This comes after the Easter holidays, which we calculated added £98 to energy bills.
“We looked at basic costs such as extra heating - which in more typical spring weather might be less of an expense - and lighting as well as the cost of running gaming devices, computers and the TV to keep the kids entertained. These costs are just for energy and before parents fork out for trips out and treats.
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"If you’re spending more time at home over school holidays and missed school days this year, encourage your kids to become energy-saving heroes by turning off lights and devices when they are not using them. We know from speaking to customers that many families feel helpless since the energy crisis hit, but there is still a way to stay in control of your energy bill and using a free smart meter app like Loop makes this a lot easier.
"Loop links to your smart meter, analyses your energy data and shows you easy ways to make savings. On average Loop users cut their electricity bill by 16% and their gas by 10%. These six days come quickly after the Easter holidays adding more pressure on families, so there’s never been a better time to stop wasting energy.”
Cost of missed school in May
Activity |
Cost of energy used May 2023 |
Desktop computers |
£1.30 |
Laptop computers |
£0.40 |
Charging four mobile phones each day of the holidays |
£0.65 |
Playing Xbox or PlayStation for five hours per day |
£1.53 |
Watching Netflix or Amazon on TV for three hours per day |
£0.56 |
Lights on in two extra rooms (two 60w lights left on 10hrs) |
£2.40 |
Heating on for extra two hours per day |
£28.80 |
Electric underfloor heating one hour extra per day |
£6.09 |
Total for six days off school in May |
£41.73 |
Loop calculated the costs above based on three bank holidays - May 1, 8 and 29 - a planned teachers' strike on May 2, and including May 30 and 31, which fall in half term for many. It costed electricity at the current cap of 34p per unit.
Households can use the May holidays to prompt an energy ‘spring clean’, making changes to reduce usage and cut costs. Dr Buckley has shared his expert tips:
Don’t forget to turn off your heating
Most people adjust their heating according to the weather. But it’s very easy to forget to change it when the weather warms up, especially if your heating is on an automatic timer. Loop users who turned their heating off by mid-April used 10% less gas than those who kept it on.
Save with small changes
If you aren’t ready to turn your heating off completely, turning down your thermostat by as little as one degree can result in savings of 10%. Lowering your thermostat from 21C to 18C can save you around £300. With the temperature dropping again, it can be hard to strike the right balance between reducing bills and staying warm, but making sure you have your temperature set correctly should help you to get this right without compromising too much on heating your home.
Switch to LEDs
Turning off the lights for just an hour a day can result in a small saving of £24 over the summer, but you could save even more if you’re yet to make the swap to LEDs. Make sure you adjust any lights that are on automatic timers to benefit from the extra natural light, and make the switch to LEDs as soon as possible - it’s the proverbial no-brainer
Get the family involved
Gaining a better understanding of how your household is using energy and what it’s costing can help you save money on your bills. That’s where a free energy-saving app like Loop can help. Encourage your kids to become energy-saving heroes by turning off lights and devices when they are not using them.
Dry your clothes outside
As days get warmer, swapping your energy-hungry tumble dryer for drying laundry outside can save £150.
