A campaign to encourage consumers to switch off appliances in a bid to save energy has been launched to coincide with Halloween this week, after it is revealed the average home spends up to £86 a year on standby energy.

A campaign to encourage consumers to switch off appliances in a bid to save energy has been launched to coincide with Halloween this week, after it is revealed the average home spends up to £86 a year on standby energy.

Vampires are lurking in homes across the UK, and these are not the kind that can be warned off with garlic, nor are they interested in taking a bite of your neck, says the Department for Energy & Climate Change.

These vampires are everyday devices and appliances that suck up electricity even when idle or on standby mode, and tear through your wallet.

"Have you ever come home from work and noticed your mobile phone charger is warm, even though it’s not been charging anything all day? Or have you seen that little red standby light on your television, even when its not on? What about game consoles that are left on once you’ve finished playing? All of these products are leeching unneeded electricity and adding pounds to your electricity bill. And it’s what we call vampire energy," said a DECC spokesperson.

So, how do you escape the clutches of vampire energy? It’s simple – switch it off.