Computers, televisions and other electrical products plugged in but not in use or left on standby cost the UK up to £1.3 billion in electricity bills every year, a ground breaking new study reveals.
The study, ‘Powering the Nation, – household energy using habitats uncovered’, conducted by Defra, Department of Energy and Climate Change (DECC), and the Energy Saving Trust also revealed that the UK is watching 10 billion hours more TV than previously thought adding £205m to electricity bills.
Whilst this is a huge waste of energy it only represents an average of £85 per year for every household. This is not a massive sum and begs the question how can we change behaviour so people turn off appliances at the mains?
Our view is that the energy companies need to fund a major advertising and PR campaign to educate the public. Like smoking and seat belts, this will be a long-term initiative but the benefits in terms of money saved and reduced carbon emissions will be massive.
Powering the Nation, highlights the actual day-to-day use of electricity across the country and allows us to see what is actually happening in people’s homes. The study is the first of its kind in the UK which measures and monitors electricity in real time and in real life situations; breaking down what electrical items are being used, when, for how long and how much power they use.
The research reveals that people’s relationship with energy, and levels of usage, is actually higher than previously thought. The results from the Household Electricity Use field trial, which gathered data obtained from 251 monitoring systems in owner-occupied households, showed that consumers are still getting to grips with minimising their energy consumption around the home and that more work is required to help homeowners make the right choices.
In addition, the report also found that single-person households were seen to be using as much, and sometimes more, energy on particular appliances as typical families.
Environment Minister Lord Taylor of Holbeach said: “As this survey shows we are using a lot more energy than previously thought.”
“Manufacturers need to develop more energy efficient electrical products and help consumers save money and the environment.