Save over £500 this year just by turning things off!
All figures and calculations are correct at the time of publication.

Save over £500 this year just by turning things off!

After April's energy price cap increase and with the prospect of another rise in October this year, the cost of wasting energy has never been higher and could add £521 per year to your energy bill. 

Contributing to this wasted energy cost is your Phantom Load - the name for the 'always on' appliances which account for around 30% of an average energy bill.  These aren't only things that are left on stand-by, but also appliances that are just left on in the background - like extra fridges, home computers and laptops, underfloor heating, smart home devices, set top boxes, games consoles and heated towel rails.  If you're not careful it's all too easy for the cost of these hidden extras to add up.   

A phantom load of 275w currently costs £675.  Some simple changes could easily reduce this to 100w and yield a saving of £429 - if prices increase by another 20% in October, these changes would equate to a whopping £521 saving. 

Steve Buckley, Head of Data Science at Loop, explains:   

“Many people I speak to are really worried about their energy bills right now, and sadly the situation is not set to improve for some time yet. The reality is that the only way we can lower our energy bills right now is to reduce the amount of energy we use and the key to that is measuring our use. If you measure it, you can control it.  If you measure it, you can see the impact of changes you make.   

“Understanding whether your phantom load is low, medium or high is the first step towards reducing it and can lead to big savings.  

“That's where Loop can help. The Loop app connects to your smart meter so you can benchmark against other households and track your usage and use the data to your advantage. You can easily identify the culprits draining your energy and adding pounds to your bills.” 

What is 'Phantom Load'?

Phantom Load is the amount of electricity used by leaving devices on unnecessarily, or on standby.  This is unique for each individual home, depending on the number of appliances within the house that are left on.  Some of these – like fridges and freezers – obviously need to be on all the time but they're the exception rather than the rule.  Once you realise how much these other energy-draining things are costing you, you can make informed choices about how you choose to use them.

Save over 500 this year just by turning things off - phantom_1

The typically big energy-wasting culprits in British homes include electric heating left on in an empty home, which could add a whopping £877 to an annual bill. 

Electric underfloor heating is the second biggest energy guzzler and the cost of leaving this on for an extra hour a day could add an extra £367 to your bill per year.

Common Phantom Load Culprits

Save over 500 this year just by turning things off table

Go on a Loop Snoop!

The Loop Snoop is a process that can help identify the top energy-draining appliances that could be hiding in your home.

To get started, just download the Loop Snoop map and hunt them out. Turn each item off, look at your Smart Meter in-home display unit and see how much they’re costing you to run, even while they’re in standby!

Once you've found the running cost of your appliances at home, make some simple changes that will help to cut your Phantom Load!

• • •

With Loop, you can find out how you use electricity, then make smart decisions about using less. 

Got a smart meter? Great news! Link the Loop app and enjoy full access to all Loop benefits for free, no purchase required. 

I have a smart meter. Link Loop FREE!

Back to blog