Within a home the use of entertainment appliances such as televisions, radios and set-top boxes account for over one fifth of the energy used. Therefore, this has a huge bearing on the electricity bill. If you are looking at ways to save money on this bill then there are some simple methods you can employ while using these appliances to reduce your electricity bill.

Two such methods to save energy on your television and radio are detailed as follows:

Digital televisions

Unsurprisingly, televisions consume the most energy of all home entertainment appliances and the larger the television the greater the energy consumption. The energy saving trust highlights that using a 22 inch A rated LCD TV will cost £5 a year to run in comparison to a 56 inch which would cost around £19 to run.

Therefore, choosing a smaller television will make you more energy efficient even though a larger screen may be more tempting. Also, when televisions are on standby they still consume a large amount of energy and by not turning a television off fully could cost you an additional £10 per year.

Digital radios

Digital radios consume more energy than analogue ones. Typically, when a radio is switched off this means that it is in standby mode and this standby consumption is five times higher than a traditional analogue radio. Therefore it will only stop using energy when it is unplugged or switched off at the socket. If you want to save money you will therefore need to unplug or switch it off at the socket when you are not using the radio.

From looking at these two appliances it can be seen that it is important to consider your energy usage in relation to your home entertainment appliances. The most prominent piece of advice is that you need to remember that all appliances will save money if you don’t leave them in standby mode. Each year households typically waste around £35 by leaving appliances on standby. So, consider turning your appliances off at the plug once you have finished using them.

You should also consider using energy saving plugs and sockets which can come with either switches or timers that encourage you to turn off the appliances. This will also allow you to choose which appliances you want to turn off and which you want to leave on. These types of plugs are very practical and encourage you to save money and as you do, you will be helping the environment as well.

Guest Article by Sarah Wain