HOUSEHOLDS trying to save money on energy bills have been warned against turningofftheirWiFiovernight.
Switchingoffyourbroadband every evening is a false economy and can even makeyourconnection easier to hack, experts say.
1
Energy costs have rocketed since last winter with the average dual fuel bill now at an eyewatering £2,500 a year.
It’s feared some households looking to cut energy usage are now turningofftheirWiFirouter at night.
It may seem counterintuitive but shutting downyourWiFican actually increaseyourbills, according to Nick Hunn, chief technology officer at wireless consultancy WiFore.
He said: “TurningoffyourWiFisounds like a good idea, but the unintended consequence can be thatyouend up using more energy.”
Read More on The Sun
MostWiFirouters contain the modem which is constantly trying to improve the speed ofyourinternetconnection by updating its knowledge to make it more efficient, Nick explained.
When the router is switchedoff, the process starts from scratch.
He said: “Ifyouturnthe routeroffevery day, upload and download speeds are likely to be poorer.
“You’re more likely to have a slower connection with things buffering.
Most read in Money
TOTAL RECALLIceland recalls product and issues ‘do not eat’ warning over health risk
HOUSE THATI save £100s living in a narrowboat - I sleep in a living room but I’m smitten
CHOC LOTShoppers go wild for new treats based on ‘childhood favourite’ 1970s chocolate bar
“Because it is sloweryouuse more power, which increases the consumption.”
Most routers, especially the more modern ones from the last five years, use relatively little energy.
Nick added: “A lot of effort now goes into making designs more energy efficient.
“With most of these devices, the energy savingyou’re going to make isn’t going to be worth turningoff.”
TurningoffyourWiFimay also promptyourprovider to place a speed restriction on the connection because they suspect a fault.
Ernest Doku, telecomsexpertat Uswitch.com, said: “Bear in mind that most routers use relatively little power - about 10W - similar to an energy-saving lightbulb.
"Leaving it on for eight hours whileyousleep will add about £10 toyourbill over the course of a year.
“Broadband networks regularly monitor the speed and reliability ofyourinternetconnection so shuttingoffyourrouter frequently can makeyourprovider think there is a faulty line.
"This could lead them to slow down the service intoyourrouter in order to try and maintainyourconnection while they look for an issue.”
Crucially, switchingoffyourWiFiovernightis also a bad idea for security purposes.
Ernest added: “Keepingyourdevice on 24/7 means providers can install important security and software upgrades anytime, which they will often doovernightwhen the network is less busy.”
These updates help keepyourconnection functioning as itshould, as well as keeping it secure and safe from attack.
Most of the biggestinternetservice providers recommend keepingWiFiequipment on around the clock.
Save money onyourenergy bill
Households looking to keep their energy bills in shapeshouldturnoffmost other devices when they are not being used, with the exception ofWiFi, andyourlandline ifyouuse one.
Youcould save hundreds of pounds by simply checking appliances and devices are not running when they don’t need to.
Simple gadgets known as energy-saving monitors can helpyouwork out which appliances inyourhome are sapping energy.
For an easy win, don’t leave televisions, computers, playstations or other gaming devices on standby – instead, shut them down orturnoffat the switch.
Most charging cables from big-name manufacturersturnoffwhen they are not being used.
But some cheaper imitations may leak energy, according to Nick, so it is worth turning theseoffor taking them out of the socket when not being used.
Youcan’tturnofffridge or freezers but make sure the temperature is not set lower than needed to improve efficiency.
Look out for so-calledvampire appliances, such as outdoor lighting and towel rails, which can drain energy and push up bills.
Carefully settingyourheating and hot water can radically alter energy bills.
For example, every degree the temperature is raised onyourheating, bills jump by 10 per cent.
READ MORE SUN STORIES
Read More on The Sun
Use heating controls so that systems only come on when needed.
And look at small cheap changesthatyoucan make to better insulateyourhome.
