How far will 50p of electricity get you at home?
A whopping 85% of UK households admit to being completely unaware of their annual electricity usage1. With the population spending more time at home and with shorter days already here, Compare the Market commissioned a survey of the UK bill payers to find out who is least clued up on how much energy is used by everyday appliances, focusing on how far 50p worth of electricity will go in the home.
Did you know that 50p worth of electricity will get you three standard washing machine cycles? In fact, just over one in five (22%) were correct in thinking this is true. However, a quarter of the UK wrongly believe this to be false, and over half (53%) admit to not knowing at all. What’s more, men were more clued up on the cost of three loads of washing than women; just under one in four believed three standard cycles cost 50p (24%) compared to one in five women (20%).
For those who like a long, steamy shower to start the day, just 15 minutes in an electric shower will cost 50p. Just over a quarter of the nation (28%) think just 10 minutes will cost 50p, whilst over half (52%) admit to not knowing the cost. Those in the East of England are the most unsure on the cost of their morning wash, with 59% selecting “Don’t Know” as their answer.
As for the lovers of a good cuppa, they might not be pleased to know that only 14 boils of a full standard kettle costs roughly 50p in electricity – a quarter of the UK (26%) believe that you could boil the kettle at least 30 times for 50p! Residents in Birmingham believe that 50p would get them 30 boils of a full kettle the most, with almost one third (30%) of respondents admitting so. Those in Newcastle were the most unsure of how many times they could boil their kettle for a brew for just 50p of electricity (55%).
In fact, on average across all statements, 75% of the UK don’t know what 50p of electricity could get them!
The results to the survey also revealed the UK cities least clued up on energy use, and how much 50p could get them in their home:
- Newcastle
- Norwich
- Manchester
- Nottingham
- Brighton
- Cardiff
- Bristol
- Southampton
- Leeds
- Belfast
Residents of Newcastle answered the least number of questions correctly – they got the answer right just 21% of the time. However, those in Norwich admitted to not knowing the most, with 62% selecting “don’t know” on each statement.
Residents in Birmingham correctly answered more statements than any other city, being named the city most clued up on energy use. However, they still only answered 28% of statements correctly therefore showing that the vast majority actually aren’t aware of the true cost of electricity.
Other usages of household appliances that also cost 50p in electricity are:
- 6 weeks of actively using Amazon Echo
- 120mins of a microwave in use
- 66 standard 3min toaster cycles
- Half a day powering an air conditioning unit
- Just under four hours of vacuum cleaning
- Four dishwasher cycles (just under 50p)
To find out more on about the cost of electricity and the nation’s knowledge visit Compare the Market.
