Homeowners are spending up to 86 Euros a year on overcharging mobiles and powering televisions on standby,according to an investigation into UK energy consumption by the Energy Saving Trust(EST).
The research,on behalf of the EST and in conjunction with two government departments,saw 250 British households monitored for their energy usage.The results showed that 1.3 billion euros each year goes into powering the nation's dormant computers,televisions and other electronic devices,with the average householders paying the equivalent of nine to 16 per cent of their annual energy budget on wasting such energy.
And it wasn't just families who were found to leave lights on around the home and annoy their dad:research found that single-person households were as bad if not worse when it came to energy consumption,with those inhabiting properties on their own spending the same or more on average to run cooking and laundry appliances.
As EST chief executive Philip Sellwood notes,it's important for householders who are struggling with their energy bills to do everything they can to help drive down consumption and in turn costs."It's crucial that households across the nation can make informed decisions by having the right advice to help them reduce their energy usage and fuel bills,"he said."This research shows that there's still more work to be done with consumer advice,product innovation and take-up of energy efficiency labelling."
And labelling has become the new focus of both the EST and the government in light of the findings,with both organisations announcing initiatives to better label goods in-store so householders will know up front the energy spend associated with running washing machines,cookers and televisions.
But another key area where householders can cut back their energy costs is with their lighting.Switching to LED bulbs in place of traditional incandescents will cut the average energy spend per bulb from an average of 60kW to 8kW per hour,with a longer lifespan of up to 15 years.
And LED lighting can sparkle in any area of the home,from LED bathroom lights to low voltage garden lights for outdoors.
