Martin Lewis says ‘demon appliance’ is ‘really expensive’ and bad for energy bills

Finance expert Martin Lewis says people should avoid using it where possible

Personal finance expert Martin Lewis says one ‘demon appliance’ is the biggest energy guzzler in the home – and should be avoided to get bills down. Household energy bills in the UK are set to climb by £332 a year in July, experts say.Big increases in wholesale prices due to the conflict in the Middle East are set to feed through into Ofgem’s price cap. Analysts at Cornwall Insight say forecasts for the watchdog’s price cap from July to September have gone up to £1,973 a year for a typical dual fuel households.

That is an increase of £332 – or 20% on April’s cap. In advice shared last year on his BBC Radio 5 podcast – which is still relevant today – Mr Lewis highlighted one key appliance to use as infrequently as possible that might help as bills rise.

The appliance in question is the tumble dryer, which costs £1 per load. He said: “Do you know what the real ‘demon appliance’ is in most people’s houses – the one that you don’t want to use because it’s really expensive? Tumble dryers. You’re typically paying up to a quid per load so dry your clothes on an airer outside, to shorten the amount of time you’re using your tumble dryer, or avoid using it completely. Those who have dehumidifiers can take some of the moisture out of the air. It’s less wattage than a tumble dryer, so it can be more cost-effective.”

Martin Lewis’ verdict on dehumidifiers

Mr Lewis spoke on the issue after listener Rob said he had noticed that his flat had become damp since he started drying his washing indoors. He asked: “If I were to buy a dehumidifier, would it be cheaper than using the heating to keep the place dry?”

Martin responded: “Dehumidifiers take water out of the air rather than use the heating and they’re much lower wattage appliances than standard heating. So if the dehumidifier works for you, it will definitely have lower electricity bills.”

One of the problems is radiators heating spaces which do nothing to increase the temperature and escape outside rapidly. Speaking previously on his BBC podcast, Mr Lewis said that households should consider using reflective panels behind radiators – to send the heat back into the room rather than through the wall to outside.

He said: “A tip for you reflective panels behind radiators. Sheets of reflective material can be placed behind radiators. Crucially, this is on external wall radiators, so the heat doesn’t escape. If you don’t want to pay for those, then tin foil can work, although it doesn’t work quite as well.”

Radiator heat reflector foil

Currently a 4 metre long roll of the radiator heat reflector foil can be purchased at Screwfix for £6.39. Mr Lewis also shared other suggestions for radiators. He said: “If you’ve got radiators in rooms that you’re not using, go and turn them off before you turn the heating on so you’re not wasting cash overheating empty spaces.

“Changing the flow rate on your boiler can cut gas bill by over 9% and you won’t notice the change.” He added: “Other general tips included: “Check your TV’s on a low energy setting too and walk around your house. Be a draft detector – what drafts can you spot as you walk around your house? And then try, if you can, to seal them up.”