Households wasting up to £86 a year leaving gadgets on standby Experts from the Energy Saving Trust even found single people are using about the same amount of electricity as family homes for their cooking, laundry and other appliances. Lord Taylor, the environment minister, said the survey shows people are "using a lot more energy than previously thought. We can all do simple things like switching off our televisions, computers and other home electronics and save up to £85 on electricity bills each year. The data will be used to help the Government persuade people to use less energy. Philip Sellwood, chief executive of the Energy Saving Trust (EST), said showing people how much it costs to run appliances helps them to make "informed decisions" about their energy usage and fuel bills. "This research shows that there's still more work to be done with consumer advice, product innovation and take-up of energy efficiency labelling," he said. Greg Barker, the energy and climate change minister, added: "Using energy more wisely in our homes will not only cut carbon but will also help save money on bills. But first we need to really understand how we use this energy in order to become more energy wise.