Plus, we've explained how to work out how much your appliances cost to run

YOU might spot vampires roaming the streets this Halloween, but did you know the true danger lies within your home?

"Vampire appliances" are silently sucking energy - and money - when left on standby or used inefficiently, which could potentially be adding hundreds of pounds to your energy bill.

The warning comes in the wake of Ofgem's energy price cap increase earlier this week on October 1.

The average annual bill for households on a standard variable tariff - paying by direct debit has risen by 2%, jumping £35.14 to £1,755 from July's cap of £1,720.

This figure is based on an average household consuming 2,700 kWh of electricity and 11,500 kWh of gas annually.

However, your actual bill may differ from the average figure because the price cap only limits the maximum cost per unit of energy, not your total bill.

Around 35million households are sitting on the price cap.

But beware - your bill could be even higher than this average if your energy usage is high, so now is the time to check for any energy guzzling appliances.

Experts at Uswitch have identified four key "vampire appliances" that could drive up your bills and giving your finances a fright - see which ones.

The worst offenders

Game consoles are the biggest energy offenders.

When in use, they consume 200W of power, which costs 5.3p per hour, £1.27 per day based on 24 hours of use.

Per week, that racks up to £8.89, and an eye-watering £463.55 per year.

Even on standby, a game console will still eat into your energy bill. They use 4W of power, costing 0.1p per hour, or 2.4p per day, 17p per week, and £8.76 a year.

Televisions are also vampire energy bill suckers.

When in use, a TV consumes 97W of power, which costs 2.6p per hour, or 62.4p per day.

That means over the week, that will cost £4.37, and a whopping £227.76 per year.

On standby, TVs use 4.85W, costing 0.1p per hour, 2.4p per day, 17p per week, and £8.76 a year.

Microwaves also add to the problem.

Even when you're not using them, they are using up 1W of power, which costs 0.03p per hour, 0.72p per day, 5p per week, and £2.63 per year.

Smart speakers are another culprit.

These devices use 2.5W of power when on standby, costing 0.1p per hour, 2.4p per day, 17p per week, and £8.76 per year.

Gadgets you can use to help spot your vampire appliances

Ben Gallizzi, energy expert at Uswitch.com, said: "If you're worried about the cost mounting up, you can buy smart plugs that let you turn off devices via an app without physically unplugging them."

These clever gadgets use Bluetooth or WiFi for a fuss-free setup, connecting to your phone in seconds to instantly share your Wi-Fi password.

Once online, you're in complete control via a simple smartphone app, allowing you to turn off devices from anywhere and even set automatic schedules.

Ben said that while the plug itself needs power, its running cost is tiny, typically amounting to less than £2 for an entire year.

That small expense is easily cancelled out by the savings from switching off a single power-hungry games console or television.

Affordable models from brands like TP-Link Tapo and Meross are widely available for around £10.

Some versions even include energy monitoring, using the app to reveal exactly which appliance is your home's biggest "vampire".