Cost of living: Tips to help reduce your bills

  • Most energy is lost through heating
  • For a modern condensing boiler, keep the temperature of the radiators low so it runs most efficiently to save between eight and 12 per cent of your gas use
  • Set your thermostat to the lowest comfortable temperature (in smaller homes savings will be lower)
  • Bleed radiators to remove trapped air and move furniture away from them to help warm air flow more easily
  • Drop temperature of washing machine to 30 degrees or lower (use any eco settings and do one less cycle a week)
  • Dry clothes outside instead of in a tumble dryer
  • Switch to LED lightbulbs - they can cost more but have a longer lifespan and save money over time
  • Adding insulation
  • Upgrading windows and doors
  • Draft proofing strips cost around £10 from DIY shops but you can fit them yourself to window gaps and heavy curtains and are easy to install
  • Loft insulation
  • Use draught excluders around your front and back doors in particular
  • Older electronics such as desktop computers or game consoles could be using up to £100 of electricity a year when they’re not in use so always turn them off at the plug socket when not using them
  • Turn lights off when not in rooms
  • Use more candles to light rooms
  • Reduce the amount of time spent in the shower (cutting it from eight to four minutes could save £70 a year, based on five showers a week)
  • Only charge mobile phone and laptops etc when necessary
  • Keep usage of household appliances such as kettle, washing machine, games consoles and microwaves to a minimum   
  • Use an air fryer or microwave instead of an oven
  • Invest in jumpers, blankets and onesies

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