There is an easy way to cut costs and save energy
Numerous households are facing higher energy bills this winter, with many people questioning how to reduce their spending. The Ofgem price cap for the average household paying by direct debit currently stands at £1,723 annually.
However, energy analysts at Cornwall Insight forecast this could climb to £1,999 in January. The Government implemented a VAT reduction on electricity bills, yet the Ofgem price cap still increased due to elevated wholesale costs fuelled by the conflict in the Middle East.
For many families, minimising energy consumption wherever possible is essential. Fortunately, there are straightforward changes you can make to your property to reduce energy use.
These alterations will be barely noticeable but can help reduce energy consumption and consequently save some cash. Money Saving Expert suggested making a minor adjustment to televisions.
Reduce TV energy consumption
According to Money Saving Expert, the typical cost to run a TV per hour stands at 0.79p. A Sky Q box can cost 1.18p while a PlayStation 5 can cost 5p.
On average, British households spend approximately four hours daily watching television. The experts stated: “All that viewing uses a lot of energy, but most TVs these days have special settings aimed at making them run as efficiently as possible.”
Most televisions feature power-saving options that modify screen brightness to lower energy consumption. Use this function to reduce the TV’s energy consumption.
Should your television lack that particular setting, you can manually reduce the brightness and contrast levels. Switching the picture mode to the “standard” option represents the most energy-efficient setting.
Certain televisions feature a sleep timer which powers down the TV after it’s been inactive for a specified period. Make sure this is enabled as well.
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Adjust your TV box
You can also modify your TV boxes to reduce energy use. Many feature an eco mode setting.
Sky Q boxes include an eco mode that shuts down the box between 2:30am and 5:45am. Virgin and BT also offer comparable options, so search for the “eco” or “power saving” configurations.
Is standby mode worthwhile?
Switching off devices rather than leaving them in standby is preferable. According to the Energy Saving Trust, households could save £45 annually by switching devices off standby.
However, devices consume considerably less energy while on standby than during active use. Under EU legislation, TVs and other devices manufactured after 2013 cannot use more than 0.5 watts in standby mode.
Money Saving Expert clarified: “For perspective, a TV left on standby for 20 hours a day would cost about £1 a year. Similarly, even power-hungry devices such as games consoles use only small amounts of energy while on standby.
“A PlayStation 5, for example, uses just 0.4 watts in standby mode (assuming it’s not downloading any updates or charging controllers). This would cost less than a penny if left on standby all day.”
