While energy bills are being capped at £2500, there is still a chance they will go up for you, so here are some tips on how to try and keep them down

The announcement of the energy price cap has – for now

 

– provided some clarity and relief for the nation, with households no longer having to find the originally forecast £3500 a year, up from £1900.

 

However, there are things you can still do around the house to help you to take control of

 

your bills, without necessarily breaking the bank to do so.

 

We will look at five things you can do that will shave a few pounds off your bills, be it monthly or quarterly.

Set up a smart meter

Smart meters are becoming something of an essential in these times, as

 

not only do they save on bills by letting your energy provider know exactly what you’re using, but

 

you can see for yourself exactly what is making your bill go up.

 

Smart meters can be especially helpful if you have left something on without realising, or not switched a light off and

 

by checking the smart meter, a simple display shows you what's causing it to rise.

 

Smart meters also

 

allow

 

you to see how much things cost

 

in real time, this can aid with energy and water conservation and save

 

you more money in the long run.

Look at air fryers

Primarily seen as a healthier alternative to deep frying, air fryers are becoming a must have kitchen accessory because of their energy efficiency.

 

While gas is cheaper to cook with than electricity, even though electric ovens and hobs are better in regards to energy, air fryers are more energy efficient for cooking smaller things than using a gas oven.

 

For example, things like fish, chicken burgers and even chips will likely cost less when cooked in an air fryer than an oven

 

– without changing the taste!

Portable heaters make a difference

It’s rather callous to just say “wear more layers” when it’s cold, but one other thing you can do to help is look at portable heaters – especially if you can’t allocate a single room with your central heating.

 

If you only need to heat one room, it’s not financially efficient to keep the central heating on for the whole house, so a halogen heater is great because it will heat things up immediately.

 

Using one in short bursts will be cheaper than using the central heating in short bursts, especially if you can’t pick and choose a room where you want the heating to be.

 

Make sure your loft is insulated

On average, an insulated loft can cut your bills by up to £300 a year, so it’s very much worth looking into and is also something you can do yourself.

If you are to do it yourself, then it is worth noting that the recommended thickness is 270mm and while this may cause issues with loft storage, it will save you a lot of money – especially if you currently have no insulation

 

at all.

If you do have some loft insulation already, just topping it up to 270mm can help you save a fair bit over the course of the year, as well as making your home more energy efficient.

 

Invest in LED lightbulbs

Eagle-eyed sports lovers may have noticed that it is Premier League protocol for clubs to have LED floodlights instead of normal bulbs, but they’re not just for the 20 best football teams in the country.

LED bulbs not only use 90% less energy than halogen bulbs, but they also last 50% longer,

 

meaning you not only save on bills, but will have to replace them less frequently.

 

LED bulbs tend to be

 

more expensive, but you get what you pay for and you will get that money back in the long run thanks to how much more efficient they are. Always look for at least an A rating for energy efficiency for your bulbs as some entry-level, imported models may use just as much electricity as a conventional filament bulb.

 

We hope this article has been helpful and the

 

tips help you save money in the long run, especially with bills likely to be more rise over the coming months.