Connswater Homes Tenant Handbook

Standby costs of common household appliances The average household in Northern Ireland could save around £141 per year by turning off at the plug and avoiding standby. If every house in Northern Ireland turned their appliances off when not in use, we would save £28 million on energy bills and 90,000 tonnes of carbon dioxide a year. This is equivalent to the carbon dioxide emitted by over 10,000 homes in a year. Below is a list of popular appliances in the home and their cost, based on average wattage, if the appliance was left on 24 hours a day, 365 days per year.

Appliance

Estimated average standby power (W)

Energy consumption (kWh per year)

Cost per year

Washing Machine

0.5

4.4

£0.66

Gas hob

0.2

1.8

£0.27

Electric oven

3.0

26.3

£3.95

Microwave

2.3

20.1

£3.02

DVD player

1.9

16.6

£2.49

Freeview set-top box

6.4

56.1

£8.43

LCD TV (main TV eg in living room)

2.7

23.7

£3.56

CRT TV (secondary TV eg in bedroom)

2.6

22.8

£3.43

Games console

2.03

17.8

£2.68

Desktop PC

3.4

29.8

£4.48

Laptop

1.3

11.4

£1.71

LCD PC monitor

1.1

9.6

£1.44

Inkjet printer

1.5

13.1

£1.97

Laser printer

124.4

£18.70

For more information on standby costs and how not to waste energy at home, Contact the Energy Saving Trust Advice Centre on 0800 512 012

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