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Dublin Live
National
Angela Patrone & Rachel Curran

Switch off these five 'worst energy offenders' to save money on bills

Most of us have everyday appliances on standby around our house without giving it a second thought. However these appliances might be hiking up your electricity bill, costing you hundreds of euro every year.

As we face an energy crisis this winter and the cost of living soars, households will be looking for simple way to bring down their bills. Natalia Lachim from Discount Code says that leaving an appliance plugged in and turned on will drain electricity even if you are not using it.

This could be money down the drain every month. She says: “This is because electricity will be allowed to run through, thereby increasing your energy use and, sadly, your energy bills," reports Express.

Read more: 'I was charged €4.10 for tea and €4.75 for coffee in a Dublin cafe'

According to Natalia, the following items are “the worst offenders”, costing you the most money. By plugging out these five appliances while they are not in use, you will save a few euro on your next energy bill.

Television

Most of us probably leave our television on stand-by, however it is one of the biggest offenders when it comes to using up energy. It might seem like a bit of effort switching off your TV from the wall, but it could save you almost €200 a year.

Natalie said: “Leaving the TV plugged in and switched on uses 1.3kWh." As the average cost of electricity is now €0.39 per unit, just leaving the TV on idle for an hour a day adds up to €184.42 a year to your bill.

Gaming consoles

Natalie says if you have a gaming console in your home, it could be costing you around €5 a day if you leave it plugged in. They consume 15kWh per hour when it is on standby, so switching these off could save you big money every year..

Kettle

The kettle is not the worst offender when it comes to energy consumption, however switching it off at the wall will still save you some money. Natalie says that leaving the average kettle plugged in could add an extra €42.56 to your annual bill.

Chargers

Many of us are probably guilty of keeping our phone charges plugged in even when they aren't being used. While it's convenient to have your charger ready to go when you need it, is it really worth paying the extra money?

Natalia said while leaving an empty charger plugged in might not be the most expensive, it is still adding an unnecessary €20.43 to your annual bills.

Read more: Clever freezer hack could save on electricity bill this winter

Alarm clock

Most of us probably use the alarm on our phones these days, however if you do have an alarm clock, it's worth plugging it out during the day. Natalie says is plugged in at all times, it costs around €27.98 annually.

She said: “Although this may not seem too expensive, to make further savings, you could consider turning off your clock when not in use and simply reset the time and your alarm before going to bed.”

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