The £7 kettle that costs £51 in electricity a year to run, reveals Which?

‘Don’t be fooled by a low price point as this can mask bigger costs in the long run’

Cheap household appliances could cost households up to twice as much in energy bills, an investigation has found.

Consumer group Which? analysed the running costs of dozens of the cheapest electrical appliances on the market, and found that some gadgets could add hundreds of pounds to household bills because of their poor energy efficiency.

It found that a £ 7 Argos kettle would cost £51 a year to run based on today’s energy prices – double the average of £23 – while the most energy efficient models cost just £8 a year.

Argos did not respond to requests for comment.

Natalie Hitchins, of Which?, warned households not to be fooled by a low price point “as this can mask bigger costs in the long run”.

The investigation by Which? found that a £ 399 Hisense fridge freezer would cost £113 a year to run – 46pc higher than the average of £81. The consumer group’s testing revealed that some could cost as little as £40 a year.

A spokesman for Hisense said the brand “is committed to bringing new products to market that are energy efficient, to ensure that consumers’ bills are as low as possible, and this is reflected across our appliance ranges”.

It comes amid warnings that British households could face a £100 surge in annual energy bills, as global events impact wholesale prices.

Last week analyst Cornwall Insight said the Hamas- Israel conflict and industrialisation in Australian gas production facilities had caused prices to rise. It added that the energy price cap, which limits the rate at which households pay for their energy use, could rise by 6pc from £1,834 to £1,923 a year from January – and remain at that level throughout the year.

The tests carried out by Which? used the current electricity price cap of 27.35p per kilowatt hour.

From January, this figure is forecast to rise, meaning household appliances will cost families even more.

Fan heaters emerged as the most energy intensive products tested by the consumer group. A £ 79 Dimplex fan heater would cost households £464 to run for four hours a day for 20 weeks in winter, Which? said. Dimplex did not respond to requests for comment. A Beko £279 dishwasher costs £88.99 a year to run – £10 more than the average cost, and almost double the cheapest annual cost of £55. Beko said that it had discontinued any F-rated appliances and upweighted its A, B and C-rated appliances.

Which? urged customers to check the energy efficiency rating when buying new appliances. A spokesman added: “There are many independent statistics that show dishwashers can save both water and energy versus handwashing, so we would never want to discourage consumers from looking into owning a dishwasher, as longer term it will support overall household energy savings.”

The most efficient kettles can cost as little as £8 a year to run