Households are wasting around £147 a year on energy bills due to three appliances “sucking” electricity and money out of peoples’ homes.

Consumer champions How To Save It are warning the public about the dangers of “vampire devices”.

This is the term to describe household devices that use electricity even when turned off and left in standby mode.

According to figures from Centrica last year, families are losing an estimated £147 annually due to these items.

Over the last year, households have struggled to cope with soaring energy bills and changes to the price cap.

To better educate families on the financial costs of “vampire devices”, How To Save It has shared the three electronic devices that Britons need to look out for.

These include game consoles, from Playstations to Nintendo devices, which can cost the consumer an extra £30 a year.

Smart speakers, including the Amazon Alexa, are also relatively pricey when left on standby and can cost users £7.44 over the year.

Furthermore, laptops cost households £10 a year when left on standby while desktop computers steal £13 annually.

Will Hodson, the founder of How To Save It, broke down what these appliances are doing to people’s energy bills.

He explained: "Vampire devices are sucking cash out of our houses and most of us know little or nothing about it.

"This is a clear opportunity to cut down on bills - and a provide a strong case for every house having a working smart meter, so they can see how much energy is being used at any one time."

According to How To Save It, the average number of vampire devices already added six percent extra to energy bills in the first four months of the year.

In the US, households were found to be spending an extra $167 (£130.67) due to “ghost electricity, based on a study by the Natural Resources Defense Council.

Save on Energy reports that Americans are spending nearly $50 (£39.12) a year extra on energy bills thanks to their cable box.

Chargers and laptops were also found to be costly “vampire devices” for families living stateside.

When a computer is left idle, savers could be spending an extra $82.21 annually, according to Save on Energy.