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Using lids when cooking on hob helps 'cut energy usage by around 10%'
Cost of living: Three tips to save money on energy bills
The price of energy has skyrocketed during 2022 meaning this Christmas people will be worried about the cost of energy bills. However, there are some things people can do that could lead to significant savings despite the rising cost of living.
Experts at Utility Bidder have shared five tips to help homeowners save money over the festive period.
Simple things like using pan lids when cooking and opting for LED lights, which use just 10 percent of the energy that non-LED lights use, can add up to significant savings.
Other good habits such as switching lights and appliances off standby could equate to further savings throughout the year.
Meanwhile, turning down the thermostat by one degree could save the average household £115 over 12 months.
A typical home uses the equivalent of 12,000kWh of gas and 2,900kWh of electricity each year, according to Ofgem.
Under the Energy Price Guarantee, the unit cost of gas is capped at £0.10 per kWh and electricity at £0.34 per kWh.
People may want to consider swapping energy guzzlers for more energy-efficient appliances – Express.co.uk has created an interactive tool to show how much each household appliance costs to run.
Tumble dryers and electric hobs are two of the household appliances that use the most energy – adding up to around £196 and £102 a year respectively.
According to Utilita, slow cookers cost 16p a day to run, which is less than half the price of a gas or electric cooker.
Electric throws cost just five pence an hour to run in comparison to central heating which is more like 90 pence per hour.
Heated clothes dryers cost less than half the cost of central heating per hour and much less than tumble dryers.
Alternatively, people could try a dehumidifier which costs approximately seven pence an hour to run but this won't dry clothes as quickly as a tumble dryer or central heating would.
Over the last few weeks, I've been testing the most popular money saving tips to see if I could save on my energy bills.
So far this winter my simple swaps have led to cheaper bills – my October and November energy bills were approximately £25 a month lower than they were this time last year.
Of course, that's with the Government's £66 energy support factored in.
People should also check they are receiving all the Government help with energy bills they could be eligible for this winter.