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