No.96, Thursday, 12th. March 2026

Every morning when I get out of bed the first thing I do is fill the kettle with sufficient water to make a mug of tea. The second thing I do is check my smart meter. It should register about £1.02, as it did this morning. But for the last two days the reading was £1.08. Six pence may not seem a great deal of money, but it most certainly is to a pensioner on a low income.

Anyway, I had written a few paragraphs on standing charges, base load and the energy cost of wi-fi but decided those were not topics for my Morning Thoughts. I might write them up in a Guide to Energy at Home series.

The thing I noted this morning was that for two days I used 6p more electricity during the night – and I know why. That 6p equates to about 17p a day on what in the old days us energy professionals referred to as vampire gadgets. These are gadgets that are sucking up energy even when they are switched off.

Normally, before I go to bed I switch off three key sockets at the wall, into which is plugged TV, amplifier, streamer and other such gadgets. Vampire gadgets with little white, red and blue lights that shine all night, taunting me in my dreams. Taunt no more! I am onto you – and off you go!

Of course, the fact that I happened to watch an episode of the great comedy show What We Do In The Shadows before going to bed has got nothing to do with it. It was the episode where Colin Robinson – the Energy Vampire – has been reborn from the cold dead chest cavity of his former self. Trust me, it is very funny.