Full list of demon appliances hiding in your home and adding £100s to energy bills – how to save money

HOUSEHOLDS could be using a number of money-sucking appliances without fully realising it.

Demon appliances can waste hundreds of pounds on your energy bills if you’re not careful, and they’re typically vampire devices.

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Using the heating could be a necessity as snow continues to blanket the country and the days get chillier – so it’s good to have lots of ways to slash your energy bills.

But some appliances eat up way more money than others – typically the bigger, every-day use devices in your home.

Common so-called vampire devices include washing machines, tumble dryers and dishwashers.

Here all the appliances taking a bite out of your energy bills and how to cut costs – even if you can’t turn them off.

Tumble dryers

Tumble dryers can easily soak up a lot of cash – costing around 67p per cycle.

So if you’re part of a family who does three loads of washing a week, you might be spending £104.52 a year using one.

And Martin Lewis warned this week that households could save serious cash by swapping out their tumble dryer for a clothes horse and a dehumidifier.

Households could also save money with a heated airer – we’ve worked out how much they cost to run here.

Washing machine

It is estimated that the typical UK household does 270 loads of washing a year. If each load takes an average of one hour, then this puts the annual cost of running your washing machine at £131.04.

But reducing your washing temperature to 30°C could save you £13 a year while cutting further to 20°C could shave £24 off your annual bill. 

Uswitch energy expert Will Owen told The Sun: “Use a cold water or 30°C cycles where possible.

“It’s only for particularly dirty clothes, bad stains or underwear that you are likely to need warmer temperatures.”

In fact, you could even go lower than 30°C to save more cash and you’ll still get a good wash.

Most models of washing machine now come with an eco-mode that can be used to save the environment – and some cash.

This setting will use less water and means you’ll use less energy to heat it when washing your clothes.

And Martin Lewis recently revealed the best time during the day to do your washing to save money – but read here to find out what the catch is.

Just remember it’s not a hack to do your washing during the night – there are lots of health and safety risks involved, including it being a fire risk.

Fridge freezers

Appliances which use energy to cool things – like fridges and freezers – could be proving to be expensive too.

The average fridge freezer uses 166 kWh of energy per year, working out at a cost of £77 a year, according to Uswitch.

But it isn’t realistic to turn off your fridge and freezer – this could be a health hazard.

Narriman Looch, Head of Food Borne Disease control at the Food Standards Agency, told The Sun: “We know times are tough but it’s not a good idea to turn off your fridge or freezer.

“If food isn’t properly chilled it could go off faster and be unsafe to eat. Running your fridge or freezer at the correct temperature helps prevent food poisoning and also helps cut down on food waste.”

Instead, keep your fridge freezer clean to save £45 a year – dust on the condenser coils can reduce the efficiency by as much as 25% says Which?.

Failing to defrost it for instance could be adding on an extra £150 a year.

The frost buildup increases the amount of work your freezer’s motor has to do.

Placing a fridge freezer in a cool and ventilated area will mean it uses around 216kWh less energy a year – saving you around £60.

Kettle

It may be the season for a hot cuppa, but there are things to keep in mind before you boil the kettle.

Along with other kitchen appliances like cookers and blenders – they account for 19% of the average home’s energy use.

If you overfill it, you’re boiling more water than you need to, costing extra energy and crucially money.

Ben Gallizzi, energy expert at Uswitch.com, said: “When making a cup of tea, only fill your kettle with as much water as you need for the number of drinks you are making.

“The more water is in the kettle, the longer it will take to get to the right temperature and the more power it will be using.”

The exact amount you can save depends on how much you pay for energy and how many cuppas you have each day – the more you drink the more you stand to save.

Simply take the mug you’re using and fill that with water before pouring it into the kettle, that way you know you’re only paying to boil what you actually use.

Dishwasher

The average dishwasher uses between 1.2kWh and 1.5kWh per load, according to research by Compare The Market.

And according to Energy Saving Trust, your dishwasher contributes to 8% of your overall electricity bill.

But there are still ways to cut dishwasher costs.

Your normal dishwasher setting is usually set at a temperature of between 55ºC and 65ºC.

An eco wash or energy saving setting generally uses around 20% to 40% less energy, according to Which?.

They generally run at 45ºC to 50ºC, which means it’s cheaper to run but still gets your dishes clean.

These settings usually use less water too, but run for longer than a standard wash.

According to Bosch, using eco-mode compared to the auto programme will save you around 523 kWh of energy over a year.

One kWh of electricity currently costs 28p – so that’s a saving of £146.44 over a year.

Other ways to get help with bills

Millions on benefits and Universal Credit will receive an extra one-off £900 next year.

Eight million households currently get cost of living payments worth up to £650, but eligibility criteria could change under any new rules.

At the moment, you’re eligible if you claim the following:

It’s not yet been confirmed when these payments will start getting distributed.

Pensioners will also be getting a £300 one-off payment.

The current “Pensioner Cost of Living payment” is being handed out to millions on a low income.

You qualify under the current rules if you normally get the Winter Fuel Payment, but this could change under the new rules.

The £300 cost of living payment is paid on top of the other winter support.

You’ll need to be:

• born on or before 25 September 1956
• have lived in the UK for at least one day during the week of 19 to 25 September 2022 in what is known as the “qualifying week”

Struggling families are eligible for the Warm House Discount to help them tackle the cost of living.

The scheme is where eligible households can get £150 off their electricity bill each winter – but you’ll have to wait until the colder months to get the money off.

Households in England and Wales don’t need to apply to get the cash and they’ll automatically qualify if they are receiving certain benefits.

You can read more about who’s eligible here.

There are plenty of energy grants and schemes open to help you out if you’re struggling.

For example, British Gas has recently confirmed that it’ll pay its most vulnerable customers grants worth £750 to help with sky-high bills.

You can read a full list of help here.