TRICKS AND TIPS TO KEEP YOUR ENERGY BILLS DOWN

Energy bills going up means it’s more sensible than ever to keep your energy usage down - for cost, as well as environmental reasons. Simple measures can ensure that your bill stays lower.

£90 A YEAR:

TAKING SHORTER SHOWERS

Reducing the time you spend in the shower to four minutes can save plenty over the course of the year - so perhaps find yourself a four minute pop song to sing in the shower to keep you on time!

£55 A YEAR:

INVESTING IN AN ENERGY EFFICIENT SHOWER HEAD

IT’S EASY ONCE YOU START

Children’s writer Ellie Jackson, 43, lives in Cornwall with her husband Ian and their four children. She says that once her family made energy saving fun, it’s been an easy transition.

Ellie has received the government support, from an automatic saving on bills via the Energy Bills Support Scheme to the Energy Price Guarantee. But she wanted to see if she could save more around the house.

“Once you’re aware of how easy it is to change one thing, you start thinking, ‘Oh, let’s do the next.’

“We’ve got a draughty Victorian terraced house, but we didn’t realise how much air was leaking out until we sealed up the skirting boards and under the doors. We dry our washing in a patch of sun on airers rather than using a tumble dryer, and we don’t wash clothes if they’ve only been worn for a few hours.

“We have a four-minute timer on the shower, and have learned to cook more efficiently – we’ll cook snacks for the week and a Sunday roast at the same time. We’ve also got LED lights, turnoff appliances when they’re not being used.

“I write kids’ books about animals and climate change, so I’ll say, ‘Remember Hunter the polar bear?’. Children care about animals, so it helps them to understand why we’re doing it.

“I was really pleased when I realised we’ve saved £90 a month on our bills. It means we can splash out on a trip to a theme park on our summer holiday. It’ll be something to look forward to.”

Visit gov.uk/helpforhouseholds for more advice

More Tips To Save On Your Bills

£40 A YEAR: WASH YOUR CLOTHES AT A LOWER TEMPERATURE

Getting the right shower headwhich regulates the flow or aerates water - can make a big difference to your bill. You can get them from any home improvement store and fit it yourself, though note they don’t work on electric showers.

£70 A YEAR: TURN THE PLUGS OFF AT THE WALL

Almost all of the electric appliances in your home, such as computers, TVs, and video game consoles, draw power continuously unless they’re unplugged or the power is turned off at the wall. So make sure you spend that extra couple of seconds to save.

Heating up water uses energy, so keeping the temperature dial lower saves you money. Modern washing machines can clean clothes effectively at lower temperatures - and switching from 40 to 30 could give you three washes for the price of 2.

£70 A YEAR: REDUCE THE USE OF THE TUMBLE DRYER

Using a clothes dryer can save plenty over the course of the year. Even making sure your tumble dryer is full - with the drum about three quarters packed - is also a much more sensible way of using what is one of the most energy intensive appliances in the home.

£55 A YEAR: USING ENERGY SAVING LIGHTBULBS

Standard lightbulbs are very inefficient, but by switching to energy efficient bulbs such as LEDs you can save money on your energy bills while keeping your rooms well lit. LED lightbulbs also last longerreducing your bill to replace them when they go. Contrary to popular wisdom, it doesn’t matter what wattage your lightbulbs are - they all use the same amount of energy.