WITH winter fast approaching, many households will be looking for ways to save on their energy bills while staying warm.
There are plenty of gadgets available on the high street right now promising to slash your heating and electricity costs, from draught excluders to electric blankets.
An example of an eco plug being sold on online marketplace Temu[/caption]
But there’s one device that experts are warning people to avoid buying this winter. Not only is there no evidence that it will save you money, but it has also been flagged as dangerous and could start fires in your home.
“Energy-saving plugs”, also called smart or eco plugs, promise to save you money on your energy bills by making your electrical appliances work more efficiently.
But the gadgets, which are commonly sold on online marketplaces or through social media ads, are actually a scam, experts say.
“So called ‘energy saving’ plugs claim to save you money on your electricity bills, but when we carried out extensive tests on devices from a range of online marketplaces, we found zero evidence that they work,” said Andrew Laughlin, Which? Tech Expert.
“Even worse, these devices are often dangerous – the ones we checked were so poorly constructed that they failed to meet even basic electrical safety standards.
“It’s therefore incredibly concerning to see that these scam eco-plugs are still widely available on many online marketplaces, and we’d strongly advise against purchasing them,” he added.
According to Which?, the plug-in devices falsely claim to save you money on your electricity bills by “optimising” the performance of household appliances.
The consumer champions tested eight energy-saving plugs from AliExpress, Amazon, eBay, Shein, Temu and TikTok shop earlier this year.
They found that the items they tested had poor quality soldering and contained too much lead, which is tightly regulated due to potential health side effects.
It also had unmarked non-standard capacitors indicating they were not manufactured in the UK and therefore potentially unsafe.
It said the platforms removed the listings it reported after it contacted them, but many identical-looking devices are still available.
They typically sell for under £10 on these websites.
The devices have also been the subject of multiple government recalls, with four devices from eBay, AliExpress and Wish flagged in 2022 as posing a “serious risk of fire and electric shock”.
Other ways to save on your energy bills
There are other gadgets and hacks you can use to save money on your energy bills while avoiding being online scammers.
“If you’re looking to reduce your energy usage, look at ways to use your appliances more efficiently,” says Laughlin.
Regularly descaling your kettle, defrosting your freezer, cleaning your tumble dryer‘s lint filter and cleaning the coils at the back of your fridge can help these devices run more efficiently and can save energy.
He also suggests using “eco settings” on your appliances if they have them.
You can make sure you’re maximising your energy usage by only running your washing machine or dishwasher when it’s full, and waiting for food to cool before putting it in the freezer.
Also consider turning off power-hungry devices like wireless speakers or soundbars when they are not in use – small changes like these can quickly add up,” Laughlin adds.
And if you’re wondering what devices do work, consider picking up some simple draught excluders.
According to the Energy Saving Trust, draught-proofing around windows, doors and floors could save you around £85 a year.
You can find draught excluders, as well as other products such as door brush strips, on the high street for as little as £2.
Common myths around energy consumption
Gwilym Snook, appliance expert at AO.com, quashed some commonly believed myths around appliances and energy consumption.
MYTH – Your fridge freezer is cheaper to run when empty
A commonly held belief is that your fridge freezer is more energy-efficient when it’s empty as there isn’t anything to cool. However, the reverse is true – Your fridge will operate most effectively when all its shelves are well-stocked.
MYTH – Washing your clothes at higher temperatures cleans them better
Most households across the UK wouldn’t trust to wash their clothes at 30°C as they wouldn’t believe it is an adequate temperature.
But in fact, 30°C is more than sufficient for most of your clothes and will significantly help to reduce your energy costs by up to 50 per cent when compared to a 40°C wash.
MYTH – Tumble dryers aren’t eco-friendly
Older models of tumble dryers were indeed energy guzzlers yet this myth that tumble dryers can’t be energy-efficient has been blown out of the water in recent years.
Enter the heat pump tumble dryer, a specially designed appliance that recycles warm air to dry your clothes at a much cheaper rate than their older counterparts.
Did you know that running this dryer will cost 63p a cycle on average? A small fee which can be reduced even further this winter by looking to dry your clothes between 10pm and 8am during off-peak electricity hours.
MYTH – Boiling water in your kettle is always energy-efficient
While kettles are energy-efficient appliances, did you know it’s easy to waste energy when bringing it to a boil accidentally? This can be done by filling your kettle to the brim every time you’re brewing up.
Instead, try to boil only the amount of water you need this winter. In the long run this small hack can help you save your money!
MYTH – Energy-efficient appliances don’t make a difference
It’s often believed that the A-G energy rating scale doesn’t make any difference to your overall energy consumption.
This isn’t the case. Energy-efficient appliances such as those with high A ratings can significantly reduce your energy bills when compared to older, less efficient models.
For example, replacing your old fridge-freezer with a newer energy-efficient one could save up to £100 a year on your electricity bills, which in the long run helps it pay for itself!
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