I’m a British Gas engineer – how to slash you energy bills by £100 a year
MILLIONS of households could cut their energy bills by £103 a year by making some simple day-to-day adjustments.
Energy costs will rise from £1,971 to £2,500 for a typical household on October 1, putting a dent in people’s back pockets.
Liz Truss froze energy bills for two years earlier this month, in a bumper cost of living support package.
The policy ensures that the average household will pay no more than £2,500 from October 1 under a new Energy Price Guarantee.
However, the cap is just on what firms can charge customers. Bills could still be higher, based on energy usage – so if you use more, expect to pay more.
Millions of households are entitled to a raft of financial support to help with the cost of living crisis, but you can still cut costs at home.
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British Gas engineer, Joanna Flowers, spoke to the Express.co.uk to share the few “adjustments” households can make to slash their energy bills by up to £103 a year.
She said: “At British Gas we are on a mission to help customers make small changes around the house that can have a big impact on their finances.”
Keep devices unplugged
Electronic devices, such as a phone, tablet, TV, dishwasher or washing machine still use energy while on standby whatever the weather.
Joanna said: “You can save around £55 a year just by remembering to unplug them.”
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But The Sun has done its own calculations. Households could save £23.10 a year if they switched off their set top box at the wall when it’s not in use.
It might also be convenient to leave your router or modem on so you can access the internet anytime but doing so adds £18.89 to your electricity bills a year.
Households leave their microwaves on standby for a total of 23 hours a day on average, working out as £16.37 extra on your bill each year.
The Energy Saving Trust also said a microwave is one of the appliances that will “eat up electricity” when left on standby.
It is also estimated that households can save an average of £12.17 per year by switching off their game consoles when not in use.
Check out the six vampire devices draining your bank when on standby.
Use your microwave when possible.
People can save energy because it’s quicker than using the oven or stove.
Joanna said it’s worth considering a slow cooker too, as they’re one of the most energy-efficient kitchen appliances.
Microwaves in the average home generally have a wattage of between 700 and 1,200 watts.
A 700 watt model would use 0.7 kilowatts per hour (kWh) and a 1,200 model, 1.2kWh.
But what does that mean in terms of cost on the current price cap and the October price cap?
The cost of energy is currently 28p per kWh for electricity, on average, but the exact cost will depend on the tariff you’re on.
So to run a microwave costs roughly between 20p and 33p per hour.
The exact cost of running a microwave will depend on how much you use it, the model you have, and how much you pay for energy.
Energy Saving Trust says that a microwave is more energy efficient than a traditional gas or electric oven.
That’s because microwaves only heat your food and not the air space inside, which means they use less energy to cook your dinner.
Wash on a colder cycle and reduce runs
Joanna explained that running the washing machine on a 30-degree cycle instead of using higher temperatures and limiting their usage can save you cash.
It is estimated that the typical UK household does 270 loads of washing a year. If each load takes an average of one hour, then this puts the annual cost of running your washing machine at £91.80.
But reducing your washing temperature to 30°C could save you £13 a year, while cutting further to 20°C could shave £24 off your annual bill.
Switch off the lights
Additionally, people should keep the curtains open and let daylight brighten their room.
Joanna said: “When you need to switch on the lights, get into the habit of only lighting rooms that are being used, and you can save you £20 on your annual energy bills.”
But some estimates suggest that you could actually save up to £44 a year by following this tip.
Only heat the hot water needed
The way a boiler is set up can make a difference to how much people can save on their heating bills, especially if they have a combi boiler.
Joanna said: “A boiler’s flow rate shows how much hot water it will be able to send to your taps in one minute.
“By setting the flow rate for the hot water to somewhere between 50°C-60°C, you can ensure you only heat the hot water you need.
“When it’s not as cold outside and you don’t need the house to warm up as quickly, you could also reduce the flow rate for heating to this temperature.”
What energy bill help is coming?
From October the first, all households will start to receive a £400 energy bill discount.
The payment will be dished out by your energy supplier and will be split across six discounts between October and March next year.
Households will receive a £66 energy bill discount in October and November and a discount worth £67 in December, January, February and March.
In November, a £300 one-off “Pensioner Cost of Living Payment” will be paid out to eight million households.
It will be given to those who already get the winter fuel payment – which is worth between £100 and £300 for those over state pension age.
Millions of households are in line to get the £150 Warm Home Discount between December and March 2023.
Check if you can get an energy grant
There are plenty of energy grants and schemes open to help you out if you’re struggling.
British Gas has recently confirmed that it’ll pay its most vulnerable customers grants worth £750 to help with sky-high bills.
The British Gas Energy Trust has previously paid struggling households up to £1,500 – and you don’t need to be a British Gas customer to apply for this help.
Ask your supplier what’s on offer and how to apply, or check here:
- Bulb energy fund
- EDF’s energy customer support fund
- E.on’s energy fund
- Octopus Energy Octo Assist fund
- Ovo’s debt and energy assistance
- Scottish Power’s hardship fund
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You can get free debt advice
If you’re in debt there are plenty of services you can take advantage of and they offer free advice on how to manage debt.
Most of them can offer you free guidance and help in person, over the telephone or online.
- Money Helper – 0800 138 7777
- Citizens Advice – 0808 800 9060
- StepChange – 0800 138 1111
- National Debtline – 0808 808 4000