It's hard to remember everything that we have to do in our homes, sometimes things slip into the back of our mind never to be found again. That's what seems to happen with our appliances, we forget to turn them off.
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New research from E.ON carried out with 10,000 UK adults reveals that Brits are losing out on up to £261million each year by leaving electrical appliances permanently plugged in.
Over the last 40 years, the rise in energy use through electrical appliances has tripled, so E.ON is urging people to unplug gadgets when not in use and benefit from energy and cash savings.
The findings reveal the most common energy-wasting blunder is leaving the TV on or on standby, with nearly six in 10 people guilty of this, followed closely by 52% leaving the Wi-fi router on and 36% leaving their DVD player permanently on.
The research also reveals that people have an average of 11 electrical appliances permanently plugged into sockets, meaning a staggering 289 million plugs are currently in use across the UK.
Perhaps indicating a lack of responsibility for energy use, the findings also show that adults still living with their parents are the biggest energy wasters with over a third admitting to leaving up to fifteen gadgets plugged in all the time.
Last year, E.ON revealed that people were overcharging their gadgets as they were scared of being ‘juiced out.’ Providing advice and raising awareness of people’s energy use, E.ON’s new research offers deeper insights and analyses the increased use of gadgets in the home.
Beverley Maguire, Energy Fitness Expert at E.ON, said: “Although gadgets and appliances can help make our lives easier, our hectic daily schedules mean that we often forget to unplug them, so many Brits are needlessly racking up higher energy bills without even realising it.
“Taking a second to unplug appliances once you’ve finished using them really can help cut energy wastage, and we’d urge anyone who hasn’t yet done so to take our Energy Fit Survey for other energy-saving ideas too.”
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