Extra fridge freezers are adding £200 to energy bills

Smart Energy shares tips for reducing energy bills

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In October, gas and electricity bills jumped by around 27 percent in response to the ongoing energy crisis. As a result, families are looking for new ways to reduce their expenditure as energy bills continue to soar. New research carried out by experts at Loop is highlighting how keeping an extra fridge or freezer over Christmas could see costs rise even further by £200 annually.

The app’s data team recently found that an old inefficient freezer could add more than £200 a year to energy bills.

In comparison, a small drinks fridge could result in electricity costs rising by over £45 per year if left plugged in after Christmas.

With the festive period comes dinners and parties, with shoppers spending £14billion on food and drink in Britain’s supermarkets last year.

Despite this, energy experts at Loop are warning households to be wary of the cost of keeping festive food and drinks cool.

The app is calling on families to unplug extra fridges and freezers if they are no longer needed with older models being more likely to hike up bills.

If a household utilises an additional drinks fridge to cool off Christmas drinks, this could cost £4.81 over the holidays.

Families which use an old inefficient freezer to chill extra Christmas food could cost an extra £20.72, according to Loop.

Steve Buckley, the head of Data Science at Loop, broke down why the holiday season is particularly expensive when it comes to energy bills.

Mr Buckley explained: “We all want to enjoy the festive period, but there’s no denying that Christmas is an expensive time of year. And now more than ever people are looking to cut back on their outgoings.

“Energy use over Christmas is likely to rise due to colder weather, darker days and more people in the house. But there are some energy guzzling devices in use over Christmas that could be contributing to higher bills over Christmas.

“These include extra fridges and freezers – from mini drinks fridges to larger chest freezers. While the individual costs might not seem that significant, the pounds quickly add up, especially if people don’t unplug the extra fridges and freezers once Christmas is over and they are empty.”

According to the energy expert, the term used to describe wasted energy through these household appliances is ‘phantom load’.

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This refers to any devices which families knowingly left plugged in, as well as appliances which have been forgotten about.

For Mr Buckley, among the devices which are the main culprits of phantom loads are unused fridges and freezers.

He added: “Firstly, it’s worth thinking about whether you really need to use an extra fridge or freezer over Christmas to chill or freeze the extra food and drink.

“If you do decide to plug in an extra fridge or freezer, we would warn people to be aware of the cost of old inefficient devices and urge people to unplug them once they are emptied after the festive period.

“We want to ensure bill payers are aware these extra fridges and freezers can add to electricity bills and help consider the best way to keep food and drinks chilled to perfection this Christmas.”

One of the energy expert’s best tips for households in avoiding this is to keep their fridge and freezer at the ideal temperature to improve energy efficiency. This is between three to five degrees for a fridge and -18 degrees for a freezer.

On top of this, Mr Buckley reminded families hosting Christmas parties over the weekend to not forget to unplug extra fridges and freezers when they are empty to avoid overpaying.

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