A THIRD of households see their electricity use rise by 10 per cent during the school holidays, researchers found yesterday.

Extra laundry, cooking as well as TV and games consoles running on overtime costs these parents an increase of 23p per day, adding up to £10 over the summer break, according to a survey from price comparison website Uswitch.

Looking at the data from 185,000 homes with smart meters, they found weekday consumption for some households rises from 61kWh to 67kWh, a 10 per cent increase.

Nearly one in seven (14 per cent) of households saw their electricity bill soar more than 20 per cent during the six-week summer holiday.

Energy use increased 17 per cent between the hours of 11am and 3pm, rising significantly between 6pm and 8pm and again at 2am.

It follows new PM Andy Burnham’s first major move in Downing Street to cut VAT on energy bills, worth about £45 a year to the average family.