Power Nap: Households spend £47 a month on energy while they sleep

• Households spend £47 a month on energy while they’re asleep, with almost £19 used for gas and £28 for electricity[1]

• Nearly one in ten (8%) households – two million – don’t limit how often their heating can come on, while a third (32%) only turn it on when they need it[2]

• One in seven households (15%) use more than a quarter of their gas at night[3], suggesting their heating may be coming on when it’s not wanted

• Using an electric blanket for one hour a night instead of using the heating at night could save £18 a month, while a hot water bottle would cut bills by £16[4]

• Households shouldn’t lose sleep over devices left on standby overnight – routers, TVs and satellite boxes only add 5p to energy bills a night[5]

• Consumers can check how much energy they're using at night with free mobile app Utrack  to see if they can save. 

Households are sleep-walking towards higher bills by not using a timer to control their heating – with the average home spending almost £47 a month on energy while they are asleep[1], according to new research from Uswitch.com, the comparison service.

Nearly one in ten households (8%) – two million homes – don’t limit how often their heating can come on, and leave the temperature of their home to be controlled by their thermostat. A third of bill-payers (32%) say they don’t use a timer to control their heating, and only turn it on when they need it[2]. 

Data from users of Uswitch’s energy-tracking app Utrack reveals that households use just under 6kWh of gas between 11pm and 6am, costing them 60p a night on average. As people are generally unlikely to be cooking or showering between these times, this is most likely being used for heating[1]. 

One in seven households (15%) use more than a quarter of their total daily gas consumption between the hours of 11pm and 6am, suggesting that their heating may be coming on while they are sleeping[3].

On average, households have their heating on for five hours and 42 minutes over a 24-hour period, but more than one in nine people (12%) have theirs running for ten hours[6].

Using a timer is a good way to control when the heating comes on, and households with a smart thermostat can make sure that their home is only being heated when it’s needed.

People who are feeling the cold just before bedtime could try using an electric blanket or hot water bottle. The appliances use about 100W of power, and can usually be programmed to turn off after an allotted time. Using an electric blanket for one hour a night instead of using the heating could save £18 a month, while using a 1.5-litre hot water bottle would cut bills by £16 a month[4]. 

Households typically use just under 3kWh of electricity while they sleep, with fridges, WiFi routers, and charging gadgets contributing to the nightly 91p bill. Homes with an electric car will find their nocturnal use to be much higher as they plug their vehicle in for the night[3].

While it’s worth making sure that lights and televisions are turned off before going to bed, households shouldn’t lose sleep over devices left on standby overnight. In total, routers, TVs and satellite boxes only add about 5p to energy bills a night[5].

To help households understand and adapt their energy use, Uswitch.com has launched its free mobile app Utrack, which lets users spot unusual gas and electricity consumption at night.

Natalie Mathie, energy expert at Uswitch.com, comments: “It’s easy to overlook how much energy your household is using while you’re sleeping, but it can all add up.

“If your heating is coming on in the middle of the night when you’re tucked up under your duvet, that might be money down the drain.

“Make sure you’re using a timer on the heater, and check that it’s only set to come on when you want it to. If you work from home some days, but go to the office on others, adjust the settings so the house is heated when you’re there to feel the benefit.

“You can’t always tell if changing your habits is making a difference until you see your bill – unless you track your usage. People using the Utrack app, which connects to their smart meter, can see the impact on their bills with hourly graphs, comparing gas and electricity use by day, week, month and year.” 

Track your energy usage with Utrack by Uswitch here.