ENERGY bills are rising this winter, meaning many households will want to use quick and easy hacks to keep costs down.
If that’s what you’re looking for, you’re in the right place – cleaner Lindsay, otherwise known as DazlinCleaning on TikTok, has found a way to save £95 a year on bills.
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Kitchen appliances can suck up a lot of energy – and money – if you’re not careful.
For example, tumble dryers normally cost a massive £140 a year on average, and washing machines add an extra £63.25 yearly on top of that.
But worry not – there are ways to slash a significant amount off your bill if you try some hacks.
Of course, how much you save depends on what your usage is, what kind of appliances you have and what your usual setting is, but it’s worth taking a look at these tips just in case.
The first hack Lindsay used was switching to the eco setting on the washing machine and dishwasher.
According to British Gas engineer Joanna Flowers, you could save £10 a year from dialling your washing machine to this setting.
Lindsay told The Sun: “It’s also reduced my water bill, switching to eco, which is saving me around £15 a month too.
“Little changes have made a huge difference. I’m actually paying less now than we were before the energy price rises. It’s sickening how much we wasted before and didn’t even think about it.”
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Secondly, in her TikTok, Lindsay showed herself switching to the low heat setting on her tumble dryer for towels and bedding.
She said: “I’ve continued using those methods ever since and keeping the electric to around 250 units (kWh) a day. Before it was over 900 units then 400 units. Crazy.”
In warmer weather, hang your clothes outside to dry if you can, and you could save money by using a heated clothes airer too.
Lindsay then showed her bill breakdown from November to January after using her hacks:
- November: £200.48
- December: £104.40
- January: £97.63
She saved a whopping £96.08 between November and December, and altogether for the three months she slashed £102.85 off her bills.
What other hacks can I try?
There are always super useful energy hacks floating around that you might not have noticed, but are definitely worth a try.
We’ve listed a few here, along with how much money you could save.
Washing clothes at night – £13.50
If you are with an Economy 7 tariff, you’ll be charged two rates – usually a higher day rate, and a cheaper night rate.
Making the most of these rates means you could save money on your bills, like savvy saver Scott Dixon does.
Washing his clothes on a night tariff – which for him starts at 11.50pm and ends at 8.50am – means he saves £13.50 a year.
However, you must be on an Economy 7 or 10 tariff for this hack to save you money – it doesn’t make a difference otherwise.
And exactly how much you could save depends on who your supplier is, how much they charge – so it’s best to check in with your provider to get more details.
Cut out a load a week – £11
By cutting out one load of washing per week, you could be saving yourself over a tenner.
It is estimated that a 6 litre washing machine uses around 1kWh of energy for an hour long cycle.
Currently, 1kWh of electricity costs 21p according to Ofgem.
At this rate, if you washed your clothes once a week for a year, it would cost you £10.92.
That’s compared to the £21.84 that washing your clothes twice a week for a year would cost.
It’s not just washing machines you might have been using wrong – here’s four common radiator mistakes that are pushing your bills up.
Wearing layers could save you a whopping £400 a year, in more energy bill cut hacks.
Turning your thermostat down by just one degree could save you £55 a year too.
Switch off plugs and sockets – £180 a year
We spoke to a savvy bill payer who saved £180 a year with this hack.
She said: “All the plugs and sockets are switched off. So I’m basically unplugging everything.”
“I’ve unplugged everything except for the fridge and even the router. This is one of the things we started doing and I wasn’t expecting such a big difference.”
“It seems like we were wasting almost £15 every month for nothing.”
