Six energy saving myths busted, including how much it costs to leave appliances on stand-by

SHOULD you keep your heating on all day? Is it cheaper to leave lights on rather than turn them on and off?

With the average gas and electricity bill for most households costing over £1,000 a year, knowing the answer to these questions could save you some serious cash.

And improving your homes energy efficiency can be really simple. There are also many things that people do that could be costing them dearly.

Not all the answers are straightforward but we’ve found out the truth about six common energy myths:

Myth one: If you leave an appliance plugged in then it will continue to use energy

TRUE! On average, a DVD player left plugged in for 6 hours a day would add £3.15 to your energy bill.

While a phone charger plugged in for 5.6 hours a day would waste 62p a year and a laptop left charging 4.5 hours a day would cost £1.63, according to comparison website uSwitch.com.

Individually these numbers may seem small and charges would vary depending on your energy tariff and the energy efficiency rating of the appliance, but they do add up.

The Energy Saving Trust estimates that each household could save £30 a year by not leaving appliances on standby.

It’s not just the kettle or TV that you need to be thoughtful about either, its chargers too.

“Chargers switched on when not in use can waste energy, but one way to demonstrate this is to touch one that is plugged into the wall socket when it’s not charging a device. If it’s warm or hot, then it is wasting energy. Rule of thumb – if you’re not using it, unplug it,” said Caroline Lloyd, energy spokesperson at Gocompare.com.

Myth two: It’s better to leave the lights on rather than turn them on and off several times

FALSE! Having lights switched on when they aren’t needed is a sure-fire way to waste energy.

In fact, turning off lights when you don’t need them could save £15 per year, according to the Energy Saving Trust.

“It doesn’t take any more energy for a low-energy bulb to come on than you would waste by leaving it on when you aren’t in the room for a few minutes, so rather than waste it, switch it off until you need it,” said Caroline Lloyd, energy spokesperson at Gocompare.com.

Myth three: The higher you set the thermostat the quicker your home will heat up

FALSE! Energyhelpline’s chief writer Matt Ridout, said: “Turning your thermostat up higher will not increase the speed your home heats up.

“It will only result in the final temperature being higher. It doesn’t work like pressing your foot on the accelerator of a car.

“In fact, using your heating in this manner will often lead to your house becoming too warm, and you wasting energy and money in the process.”

Amazingly, lowering your heating temperature by just one degree can cut heating costs by £85 - £90 a year on average, according to figures from the Energy Saving Trust.

Daniel Colford, energy expert at British Gas, said: “It’s far better to set your timers or use a smart thermostat to make sure the heating comes on 30 minutes before you get home.”

Myth four: Leave your heating on if you’re going away in winter

MAYBE. Whether you need to leave your heating on depends on how long you’re going away for and what time of year it is.

If you’re going away over the next few months then it’s important to make sure your pipes don’t freeze, but you don’t need to heat your home to the normal temperature.

Matt Ridout, chief writer at energyhelpline.com, said: “There really is no sense in spending money to heat an empty room.

“If severe weather is forecast, however, you may want to set the thermostat to a low temperature such as 10C as that will help prevent your pipes freezing. Check the weather forecast prior to when you leave to make the best judgment.”

Many boilers or thermostatic controls will have a holiday modes or a “frost protection” setting that allows you to set how many days you are away for and the minimum temperature, this will help stop your pipes from freezing.

Myth five: It’s better to use a dishwasher rather than do the washing up

MAYBE. “It’s too close to call really,” says Brian Horne, home energy expert at the Energy Saving Trust “the difference between using a dishwasher on an energy efficiency setting and washing up in a bowl of water, not a running tap, is very small in terms of the energy you’ll save.”

However, consumer group Which? says that using a dishwasher can be a more water-efficient way of doing the dishes rather than handwashing in the sink.