Up and down the country people are preparing to tighten their purse strings thanks to the news of the energy cap rising by up to 54% in April.
The increase is a record breaking high and can see householders forking out an extra £693 a year on their heating and electricity bills.
Such a big jump in bills has meant people are desperately looking for things to help them save money without sacrificing too much of their lifestyle.
Luckily, there are a few easy changes you can make, along with some brilliant bits of tech that can help cut your bills and save you some money.
Smart thermostats
Your thermostat is responsible for about 60% of your energy usage at home, so it makes sense that this is a good place to start.
Whilst they have a higher upfront cost, some thermostats, like theGoogle Nest Thermostatcan help you save up to 12% a year on your energy bills.
There are other brands available too, such as theHive Heating and Hot Water Thermostat , which works with Alexa, or thetado Smart Thermostat Starter Kit , so you can choose which one you want depending on your budget and existing tech.
Smart plugs
Turning your electricals off at the wall when they’re not being used is a really great way to save energy, but sometimes it’s not always possible.
Leaving things on standby may not use up as much energy as leaving them turned on, but these ‘vampire plugs’ (when a device is draining your electricity when not in use) can make a real impact on your bills.
They’re controlled over Wi-Fi via an app, or some like thisPhilips Smart Plugcan even be controlled with Google Home or Alexa.
That means you can turn things off and on even when you’re not in the house, and will tell you which of your appliances you’d be better off switching off to save some cash.
Energy saving appliances
When the time comes to replace your appliances, consider getting yourself energy efficient ones to help save you money.
Look for appliances with an energy rating of ‘A’ to work out which ones will help you keep your energy consumption down.
Water-supplying machines like washing machines and dishwashers are usually the biggest culprit when it comes to using a lot of energy.
Replacing these with more energy-efficient appliances, like theHoover H-Wash 500machine can save you on your energy bills.
It has an eco-power motor that should only cost you approximately £24.17 a year to run based on it costing 15.40p per load.
Small appliances can also help you cut back on your bills.
ThisRussell Hobbs Kettlehelps you use up to 66% less energy when you boil it, and even has an indicator on the glass body that shows how many cups of water you’re using.
This means you don’t need to worry about wasting water, or using more energy boiling more water than you need.
Eco showers
Showering is another big drain on your home’s electricity and gas, thanks to the amount of energy it takes to heat up the hot water and keep it running.
If you're not keen to forgo a nice long shower, you switch your shower for something a little more eco-friendly.
You can either replace it entirely with a new eco model, or you can simply replace the shower head to a more energy efficient version.
There are various styles of eco-friendly shower heads, like thiswater-saving power shower headon Amazon.
Heads like thisLowenergie energy saving shower headcosts just £19.39, but claim to be able to save you up to £75 a year on your energy bills.
It works by injecting air into your water stream, which maintains pressure but requires less water, so you shouldn’t see a change in how your shower functions.
LED or smart bulbs
Light bulbs are an absolute essential in homes, and they’re something we leave turned on for hours at a time.
Finding more efficient ways to light up your home is one of the easiest ways to cut down on your energy bills.
Regular incandescent or halogen light bulbs can cost around 20p an hour to run, which might not seem like a lot, until you add up multiple bulbs being turned on for hours at a time every single day.
Switching to LED or ‘smart’ bulbs, on the other hand, can cost you just 4p an hour to run, meaning if you ran one for five hours, it would cost you the same as just one hour of an incandescent one.
LED bulbs,like these ones from Amazon , tend to be cheaper to buy too, so you can already save yourself money upfront when it comes to replacing your old bulbs.
Whilst smart bulbs,like these ones , work just the same as a standard bulb, only cheaper, they have the added benefit of being able to be controlled from anywhere.
You can use an app, or a system like Alexa, to turn them on or off when you’re out of the house, meaning you don’t need to worry about accidentally leaving them on all day.
Changing up these simple things in your home can really make a big impact on how much money you can save on your energy bills, and can help save you hundreds of pounds.
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