Vampire appliances: Households losing £80 per year by leaving devices on standby

New research has revealed that UK households which leave their appliances on standby when not using them could be wasting £80 per year on their energy bill.* It’s estimated that this is equivalent to around £2.3 billion being lost nationwide if all homes are making this error, highlighting that households could be wasting a small fortune without even realising it.**

The data comes from Go.Compare Energy, which estimated the costs of leaving 11 popular household devices on standby for 20 hours per day. It applied the latest energy prices to each device’s energy usage while on standby, before calculating how the daily costs add up over the course of a year.

This follows another increase to the energy price cap from 1st October 2025, with the average annual energy bill for a UK household rising by 2% from £1720 to £1,755. Now, Go.Compare is reminding homes to turn off devices that aren’t in use in order to help keep costs down.

The biggest “vampire appliance” was found to be set-top boxes, which can cost users around £33.59 per year if left on standby for 20 hours per day. This could be because these boxes often remain connected to the internet when not in use, so that they’re ready to record programmes and download updates.

TVs were found to be the second most costly device to leave sitting on standby. The comparison site says that failing to turn televisions off at the wall costs around 3p per day, but this adds up to around £9.50 over a year. Laptops were close behind as the third biggest vampire appliance, costing £7.59 per year to leave on standby.

But the comparison site warned that it’s not just high-tech devices causing this. Kitchen appliances like microwaves and coffee machines can add up if left on standby, too, as many modern models are fitted with digital displays.

Microwaves were revealed as the fourth most expensive appliance to leave on standby, adding £6.64 to yearly energy bills, while coffee machines add £5.69. Other devices on the list include games consoles, DAB radios and soundbars.

Annual cost of leaving household devices on standby for 20 hours per day (by device)

Nathan Blackler, energy spokesperson at Go.Compare, said: “It’s well known that leaving appliances on standby mode can put needless strain on your energy bill, but our latest research highlights just how much it can cost over the course of a year.

“It’ll cost a home around 22p per day to leave all of these devices on standby. While that doesn’t sound like much, it really adds up over a year, and we all know that every little helps when it comes to cutting costs, especially on the back of another rise in the energy price cap. In fact, turning off these devices at the wall will save you enough to cover your Netflix subscription for a year.”***

“We’d always encourage homes to switch off and save when they can, as it can be a big boost to both their wallet and the environment. Devices like televisions, coffee machines, laptops and games consoles can be safely turned off at the wall when not in use, so it’s wise to get into the habit of doing this to avoid wasting power.”

More energy-saving tips can be found on Go.Compare’s website: https://www.gocompare.com/gas-and-electricity/guide/energy-saving-tips/

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