.svg)
Vampire energy
See which appliances are draining Australians energy and money.
Vampire Energy
Amid the cost-of-living crisis, finding simple ways to save money has become more important than ever. Leaving electronics or household appliances on standby might seem harmless, but it could be quietly adding more to your energy bill than you think.
To find out how many Aussies are making the costly mistake of leaving their appliances plugged in and switched on at the wall, energy comparison service iSelect surveyed more than 1,000 people nationwide. iSelect crunched the numbers on how much ‘vampire energy’ each appliance uses, revealing just how much it could add to your energy bill each year.
As it turns out, the majority (95.6%) of Aussies leave appliances plugged in and switched on when not in use. This is costing Australian households across the nation an estimated $135 million per year.
The most common vampire energy drainers
The most common appliances Australians leave switched on at the wall are the TV, microwave, washing machine and kettle.
Television topped the list as the appliance most Aussies keep plugged in, with 83.3% of the nation doing so. Second on the list was the microwave (74.6%) followed by the washing machine (55.9%). The washing machine’s high ranking is unsurprising, given that its large size and often hard-to-reach power point can make it difficult to unplug.
Survey respondents admitted to leaving an average of 8.5 appliances plugged in and switched on at the wall when not in use.
The financial impact of vampire power
When you add up the cost of these energy drainers over a year, you might be surprised by how much vampire power can cost you.
The most expensive appliances to leave on standby are gaming consoles. Gaming consoles use the most standby power at 7.16 Watts (W) on average. Almost one-quarter of Aussies (24%) admitted to leaving their gaming consoles plugged in all year, costing almost $20 annually.
Speakers and stereos came in second, draining 1.70 W on standby and $4.52 annually. Smart home assistants such as Amazon Alexa or Google Home followed closely in third, costing $3.54 per year.
The data revealed that TVs are the appliance most Aussies leave on standby. The good news? It’s one of the cheaper culprits, costing around $1.33 yearly in standby power.
While these may seem like relatively small amounts, leaving all these appliances on in your household could cost more than $50 a year per household and more than $135 million nationwide.
The state-by-state breakdown of vampire energy costs
New South Wales leads as the state that wastes the most on vampire energy, with more than $48 million lost annually across the state. As for appliances, gaming consoles again topped the list, costing the average resident $20.77 per year to leave on standby, and the state more than $14 million in vampire energy costs.
Victoria emerged as the second-most costly state, losing over $27 million annually to vampire energy. On the flip side, South Australia spent the least on vampire energy; however, households are still losing just over $12 million each year to vampire energy costs in total.
“Our analysis shows how something seemingly harmless like leaving appliances on standby, can quietly drive-up power consumption and energy bills. The most commonly left-on appliances in Aussie homes are the TV, microwave, and washing machine. While switching off well-used or large appliances at the wall might be inconvenient, doing so could help you save money in the long run.
“While every household operates differently, homeowners must understand where their money is going and how small changes to daily habits can lead to savings in the long term. Another thing to consider is how much your energy provider charges for energy usage. At iSelect, we help Australians compare energy plans to look for one best suited to their lifestyle and budget.”
Julia Paszka
General Manager – Utilities at iSelect
Methodology
We surveyed 1,005 Australians to analyse their habits regarding their use of electrical appliances. The survey was conducted in line with the nationally representative percentage targets for age, gender, and location (state).
Alongside the survey, we have used the standby energy consumption of common household appliances to calculate the yearly costs of electricity from “vampire” energy – the costs associated with energy drained from appliances left on standby or when not in use.
We determined the average standby power consumption from a random sample of several current retail products obtained from official product specification sheets, where possible. Due to limited available data for certain appliance categories, similar products from international markets were used – we have made assumptions that energy rates are similar across markets. However, there can be differences due to government mandates for standby power consumption across regions.
The prices have been calculated assuming products have been plugged in and turned on at the powerpoint, but remaining completely unused or in standby mode for a 24-hour period, then scaled to a full year. We calculated the cost based on hourly energy prices ($ per kWh) across each state, which is then averaged for the Australian average price. Please note that values may not sum due to rounding.
Calculation estimates for Australia-wide energy consumption and price are based on the proportion from survey results for each appliance, multiplied by the number of households (9,275,000) in Australia and the average Australian energy price. Where appliances have been listed with both off and standby consumption, only the standby energy consumption was used in this calculation.
Sources for state energy costs:
| State/Territory | State | Average Usage Rate (c/kWh) | Source |
| New South Wales | NSW | 33.11 | https://www.energymadeeasy.gov.au/ |
| Victoria | VIC | 22.66 | https://compare.energy.vic.gov.au/offers |
| Queensland | QLD | 30.50 | https://www.energymadeeasy.gov.au/ |
| Western Australia | WA | 31.58 | https://www.wa.gov.au/organisation/energy-policy-wa/household-electricity-pricing |
| South Australia | SA | 40.62 | https://www.energymadeeasy.gov.au/ |
| Tasmania | TAS | 28.17 | https://www.energymadeeasy.gov.au/ |
| Northern Territory | NT | 29.21 | https://utilicom.nt.gov.au/__data/assets/pdf_file/0004/1398496/electricity-pricing-order-1july-2024-30june2025.pdf |
| Australian Capital Territory | ACT | 27.04 | https://www.energymadeeasy.gov.au/ |
iSelect does not compare all energy providers or plans in the market. The availability of plans may change from time to time, depending on who iSelect’s providers are and what plans they make available to iSelect. Not all plans made available from iSelect providers may be compared by iSelect either due to commercial arrangements, area or availability, so not all plans or providers compared by iSelect will be available to all customers. Some plans and special offers are available only from iSelect’s contact centre or website. Energy plans are available only for properties located in eligible areas of Victoria, New South Wales, South East Queensland, South Australia and ACT (where currently, iSelect only partners with ActewAGL). Click here to view iSelect’s range of providers.
For media enquiries, please contact:
Sarah Grealy
Digital Public Relations Specialist
0413 363 690
Sarah is our Digital Public Relations Specialist, and brings more than a decade of experience in the insurance comparison industry to iSelect.
With a passion for storytelling through data-driven insights, Sarah strives to empower Aussies with practical guides and tips.