They are one of the most ubiquitous household appliances and anyone working from home will likely have at least one laptop computer on the go at any one time, as well as a personal computer – and families working from home with kids may even have as many as two or three laptops all whirring away at any one time.

While cheaper to run than a big beefy desktop, anything with a screen and processors is going to be using power.

While households will get some relief on energy bills in April when the Ofgem price cap drops by as much as 6.6%, there are fears the cost of electricity will rebound much higher come July when the next price cap is set.

An average laptop uses about 100W an hour, though that isn’t including any external monitors it might be connected up to.

Used for eight hours a day (a typical work shift), your average laptop is costing you 20p a day, or £72.04 per year, based on the average price for electricity on the April price cap. Though the July price cap is forecast to rise by as much as 13%, this is not yet confirmed.

Multiply even the April price cap charges by two or three people and the costs quickly add up, especially when you consider the cost of running a WiFi router and monitors too.

Laptop maker HP, in its guidance, also has some energy saving tips.

It says: “One of the most effective ways to prolong battery life is by optimizing power settings on your PC. Windows provides customizable power plans that allow you to fine-tune your device’s energy consumption based on your specific needs.

“Begin by navigating to the power options menu in your control panel. Here, you’ll find preset power plans, such as “balanced,” “high performance,” and “power saver.” While the balanced plan is a good starting point, consider switching to the power saver mode when you need to extend your battery life. This plan automatically reduces screen brightness, limits processor performance, and puts your system into sleep mode more aggressively, while ensuring your laptop remains responsive.

“For an even more tailored approach, explore the advanced power plan settings. You can create a custom plan that aligns perfectly with your usage patterns, adjusting parameters like disk timeout, display brightness, and processor power management. Experiment with these settings to find the perfect balance between performance and battery life, ensuring your HP laptop is always ready when you need it.

“Your display is one of the biggest power drains on any laptop, so managing screen brightness and sleep settings is crucial for extending battery life.

“Start by adjusting the screen brightness to the lowest comfortable level. While it may be tempting to use maximum brightness, especially when working outdoors or in well-lit environments common in US offices, this practice can quickly deplete your battery. Use the brightness controls on your keyboard or in Windows settings to find a balance that provides adequate visibility without unnecessarily draining power.

“Next, optimise your sleep and display timeout settings. These controls determine how quickly your HP laptop will enter a low-power sleep mode or turn off the display when left idle. A good rule of thumb is to set the display to turn off after 5-10 minutes of inactivity and have your laptop enter sleep mode after 15-30 minutes. Tweaking these settings can significantly extend how long your battery lasts between charges, perfect for those long meetings or study sessions.”