SAVING on energy bills should be a top priority for households at the minute – but one little-known mistake could be adding to them.
The average household on a duel-fuel tariff is currently paying £2,500 a year for their gas and electricity, but this figure will fall by around £420 from July.
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Even so, that will still leave bills considerably higher compared to 2021, when they stood at around £769.
So you should be looking at all possible avenues to reduce costs, even the little-known ones.
You might not know, but using a games console such as an Xbox or PlayStation to stream TV shows will add to your bills unnecessarily.
Ben Gallizzi, energy expert at Uswitch.com, explained it’s because you are essentially paying to run two devices – the games console and the monitor or television it’s on.
He said: “Some devices, like the Xbox Series S, use less energy to watch a film or series compared to a 40-inch smart TV, but remember to take into account the power for any monitor you’re using.
“While it costs around 1p an hour to stream in Ultra HD on an Xbox Series S, it also costs around 1.4p to use the smart TV — adding up to 2.4p an hour in total.”
Instead, Ben said you can use something like an Amazon Firestick, which plugs directly into your TV and allows you to use streaming services without adding to your bills as much.
Some of the cheaper models are currently selling for around £35 on Amazon’s website.
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Ben explained: “A Firestick device plugged into your TV costs 0.1p an hour (to run) — adding up to only 1.5p in total for every hour of viewing time.”
It might not seem like a big difference, but it all adds up.
If you use streaming services for 10 hours every week, that adds up to a 9p difference. Across a 52-week year, that’s £4.68.
How else can I save money on my energy bills?
Avoiding making simple mistakes when it comes to your consoles and TV is just one way to save money on energy bills.
There are countless ways you can cut back on the cost of your gas, electricity and water.
The first is by making changes around your home. Here are just a few.
Cutting your shower time
Keeping your showers under four minutes can help slash energy bills as well as water bills by £95 a year.
Longer showers drain your hot water heater, meaning energy is required to reheat a new tank, so the less time spent washing will prevent this from happening.
Drop the tumble dryer
Tumble dryers are one of the most energy-guzzling appliances in the home so you’ll want to avoid using them when you can.
As the weather gets hotter, and if you have the space, you’ll save by hanging your washing outside or on clothes airers inside instead.
Households that do this will save around £70 a year on their energy bills.
Wash at lower temperatures
Washing your garments at lower temperatures can slash energy bills too.
Washing at 30 degrees instead of 40 could save you around £9 a year.
Bear in mind you’ll need to use higher temperature settings if your clothes are particularly dirty though.
Switch to LED lightbulbs
Switching up your lightbulbs from halogen to LED will save you on your electricity bill.
They use 90% less energy than traditional bulbs, according to EDF, and could save you around £55 a year.
Not only that, but they’re better for the environment as they last longer and need to be replaced less often.
Extra help to cover bills
Beyond making changes across the household, you can get direct help paying for energy bills via vouchers and cash payments.
For example, the Household Support Fund was set up by the Government and is worth £842million.
The money is being distributed by councils across England to households in need, in most cases those on a low income or benefits.
But what you can get varies depending on where you live as each local authority has been given a unique share.
The help might come as a cash payment which you can put towards your energy bills, or sometimes as a voucher specifically for your energy bills.
The best thing to do is contact your local council to see what help you might be able to get.
If you don’t know what council area you fall under, you can use the Government’s council locator tool on its website.
You can also get cash grants from energy firms to help pay for bills if you’re struggling.
A number of providers offer them including British Gas, EDF and Scottish Power.
The application processes can vary from firm to firm, and not all offer help, but you should get in touch with yours to see what is available.
Do you have a money problem that needs sorting? Get in touch by emailing [email protected]
