ENERGY bills are set to soar by £1,657 in October and it’s worth knowing which of your appliances are setting you back.
The current energy price cap is £1,972, but predictions in recent weeks suggest it’ll rise to £3,628 by October and £4,538 in January.
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We’ve already looked at the worst devices to leave on standby, and the vampire appliances that suck up the most energy.
But Boiler Central has revealed the top ten appliances that’ll hurt your back pockets with high use.
You too can work out how much a device might cost you to run by doing a simple equation.
The equation is: Cost = power (kilowatt) x cost of one kWh (pence) x the length of time (just the one off meal, or over a week or month.)
We’ve previously looked at how much it costs to run an electric heater, the running costs of an electric fan, and how much your hot tub is adding to your bills.
Here’s 10 appliances cost you the most and least around your home followed by advice on how to slash these costs.
Dishwasher – £10.30 a month
A dishwasher is one of the most energy-hungry appliances in the kitchen and costs UK households £10.30 a month on average to use.
However, there’s lots of debate over whether it’s cheaper to hand wash your dishes.
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In fact most modern dishwashers use much less water than washing by hand – so they should be cheaper to run and better for the environment.
Boiler – £78 a month
It’s no secret that our central heating systems are expensive to run, but apparently it’s the most pricey by a long run, costing homeowners on average £78 a month.
You can often cut your boiler costs by adjusting the flow temperatures for your hot water and central heating. One thrifty saver saved £90 over six months with this trick.
Fridge freezer – £13 a month
The energy rating of your fridge freezer will affect how much it costs to run 24/7 every month.
Those with older fridges less efficient D-rated fridge freezers could be paying up to £13 a month to run the appliance.
Those with more energy efficient A-rated appliances will pay up to £7 a month.
Of course, you can’t just unplug your freezer to save money, but there are other ways to cut the costs of running your fridge freezer.
Kettle – £9.60
Your need for a hot cuppa might be costing you more than you’d originally thought.
On average it’ll set you back £9.60 a month to use your kettle for 15 minutes per day.
To cut costs it’s always wise to only boil the amount of water you need.
Laptop – £1.56 a month
Laptop’s are cheap to run when looking at how much it costs the average household a month.
At £1.56 a month it may leave you surprised to know that there’s still savings to be made.
While the device will only use around 3 watts of energy in standby mode, leaving them idling will cost you an extra £0.13 a day, adding up to £4.87 over the course of a year.
So unplug your laptop when it’s not in use.
Microwave – 1.60 a month
Microwaves are a kitchen essential for many and they only cost £1.60 a month if you were to use them for 10 minutes each day.
Energy Saving Trust says that a microwave is more energy efficient than a traditional gas or electric oven.
That’s because microwaves only heat your food and not the air space inside, which means they use less energy to cook your dinner.
However, Energy Saving Trust also says that a microwave is one of the appliances that will “eat up electricity” when left on standby.
Switch it off at the plug and you could save money on your energy bill.
Mobile phone – £0.44 a month
Your mobile phones are usually the cheapest electrical items to run in your home – costing roughly 44p a month to charge and use.
And while keeping our devices juiced up might not cost as much as you feared, there’s no point wasting money by leaving them plugged in when you don’t need to.
And remember, even when there’s no phone attached to it, your charger will still be using energy if you leave it plugged in.
Oven – £9.36 a month
Ovens are expensive – costing nearly £10 a month on average to use daily.
Electric ovens tend to be more energy efficient and do better in cost-saving tests.
Where possible, consider using the microwave or air fryer instead as these are much cheaper to run.
Television – £3.45 a month
Telivisions are expensive to run when compared to other tech – costing £3.45 a month on average.
And there’s always savings to be made.
Luckily, there are a few clever ways to save money running your tv so you can sit back and watch your favourite series guilt free.
You could cut your costs by £12 a year if you stopped leaving the device on standby when not in use.
Washing machine – £14 a month
For a typical family of four, using a washing machine could cost you £14 a month, or £168 each year.
Similar to tumble dryers, the cost largely depends on the make and model of your machine.
A typical UK household does a mammoth 270 loads of washing a year, so making sure you have a machine that works for you is a must.
Other ways to slash costs
Myles Robinson, energy expert at Boiler Central, said: “The single most energy-consuming device in your household is your boiler and with energy prices at an all-time high, switching to a new energy-efficient boiler is the best way to cut down on your energy bills.”
Myles said on the issue of costly old boilers: “If your gas boiler was installed before 2005, there is a good chance that it is a non-condensing boiler.
Older condensing boilers tend to be less than 60% energy efficient, which means they waste up to 40% of the energy that you are billed for each month.
That said, replacing your boiler can be costly and there’s other, cheaper ways to slash your energy bills.
Installing a smart thermostat can reduce your energy bill by up to £75 according to Myles.
Myles said: “These devices lear how much power you need to heat certain rooms and can also be programmed to switch on and off at the most relevant times.
Another simple trick to slash your costs is to turn your thermostat down by just one degree in the colder months.
Following this trick could save you £80 a year.
