A simple setting on your games console could save you £132 a year on your electricity bills at current prices - even before bills go up in October. Games consoles are among a range of everyday household appliances which have been called 'vampires' - meaning they drain your electricity and push up your bills even when you aren't using them.
This is because leaving devices on standby - even TVs, microwaves and smart speakers - will mean they continue to draw electricity even when you aren't actively making use of them.
UK Technology Editor at the Guardian Alex Hern tweeted today: "At current electricity prices, leaving an Xbox Series X on "standby", its default switched off mode, will cost you £132 a year. Dip into settings and toggle it over to "energy saver". (By contrast, the PS5's default costs around £4)."
