Does a kettle use more electricity than a TV? How much power your gadgets use

We test what devices consume, with households increasingly worried about rising energy prices

How much does it cost to charge your phone or your toothbrush? Is it really cheaper to use the microwave to cook your food, as has been suggested? With the cost of electricity putting the squeeze on all our finances, and a house full of tech, I decided it was time to see how power-hungry everyday devices really are.

We are constantly told that all manner of appliances chew through electricity, and that you can make huge savings by switching off vampire devices" at the wall. But is that really true? To cut through the fug and find out myself, I grabbed a power meter and spent the last two months testing everything I could.