The nine most expensive appliances to run in your home revealed – how to cut costs

EVERYONE knows running appliances throughout the home costs you money.

But some could be racking up your bills lots more than you once thought.

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With the average households’ yearly energy bills at £2,500 a year and set to rise to £3,000 from April, it’s worth knowing what appliances are costing you.

We’ve already revealed the “vampire appliances” draining your energy when left on standby.

Now, MoneyTransfers.com has revealed the top nine appliances that break the bank, and some might surprise you.

Meanwhile, Gareth Kloet, energy spokesperson from comparison website Go Compare, said: “We always encourage our customers to be energy efficient – not only for the environmental benefits, but to help minimise energy bills, too.

“Switching lights off when we leave a room, making sure not to leave the TV on standby, and not overfilling the kettle may seem like small changes, but longer-term, habit changes like these can have a noticeable impact.”

You can work out how much a device might cost you to run by doing a bit of maths.

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.)

But here are the nine appliances costing you the most around the home:

Air conditioning

It’s no secret that air conditioning is expensive to run, but apparently it’s the most pricey by a long run, costing homeowners £167.28 a month if used for eight hours a day.

Luckily, for most of us in the UK air conditioning is rarely needed, so you don’t need to worry too much about this one.

Electric heaters

While most homes won’t use air conditioning, most of us have used an electric heater.

Having one on for just two hours a day can cost £20.40 per month though.

You might think that because you can direct the heat directly at you and just warm up just the room you’re using, an electric heater would be a cheaper heating alternative to turning on the heating.

But actually, the amount of energy that these heaters use can make them an expensive way to keep warm.

You could cosy up under a heated blanket instead – Utilita Energy estimates it will cost 10p to run one for an hour a day for seven days.

Tumble dryer

For a family of four, a tumble dryer costs around £16.32, according to the pros at MoneyTransfer.

Of course, the price of running one depends on what type of machine you use.

Where possible, hanging clothes out to dry in the sun or on a clothes horse can help save some cash.

Just keep in mind that getting your load dry could take longer depending on the weather.

Washing machine

For a family of four, using a washing machine could cost you £12.24 a month – that’s £146.88 a 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.

Fridge freezer

Fridge freezers are the fifth most expensive appliance to run, costing households £11.56 to run.

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.

If you don’t defrost your freezer compartment it could add as much as £150 a year to your bill.

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

And if the motor is working harder, then this means it’s using more energy.

Kettle

Your penchant for a hot cuppa might be racking up your bills more than you thought.

Using your kettle for just 15 minutes a day could be costing you £97.92 per year, or £8.16 per month.

Games console

Using a games console, like Xbox One X, for four hours a day can cost £7.34 a month, or £88.13 annually.

Leaving it on standby could rack up costs a lot more than you think too.

Smart TV

Your Netflix habit could be costing you more than just your subscription.

The ninth most expensive appliance to run, your smart TV could be costing £3.64 every month, or £43.66 annually.

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.

Light bulb

Keeping your home illuminated probably costs a lot less than you might’ve thought.

In fact, it’s the bottom of the list according to MoneyTransfer, only costing £2.45 every month, assuming four hours of use per day.

It might not seem like a lot but that adds up to £29.38 a year.

However, this prince can escalate if you have multiple lamps on, or don’t switch off light bulbs in vacant rooms.

Do you have a money problem that needs sorting? Get in touch by emailing [email protected]

This post first appeared on thesun.co.uk