The underused setting in your kitchen that could slash energy bills by nearly £150 a year

YOUR energy bill could be slashed by almost £150 with one simple kitchen trick.

If you have a dishwasher, you’ll need to switch on eco wash or the energy saving setting on your machine.

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Millions are feeling the pinch as they looking to keep energy bills as low as possible.

The £2,500 price cap may be extended until June, but households still look to keep costs down.

Thankfully, with just a push of a button, you could shave almost £150 off your yearly bill.

Switching to an eco wash when using the dishwasher reduces the temperature, which uses far less energy.

Usually, your machine’s water temperature will sit between 55ºC and 65ºC when in use.

But an eco wash uses around 20% to 40% less energy, according to Which?

Temperatures will typically go down to between 45ºC to 50ºC, which saves around £146 a year.

You should note these settings use less water too.

Of course, how much you save is different for everyone – it still depends on the machine you have, how often you use it and who your energy supplier is.

If there’s no eco wash setting on your dishwasher, look for another energy saving button.

It will do the same job, the only difference is your cycle might take a little longer than it would on a standard wash.

Other ways to save with your dishwasher

First of all, be aware of how much they cost to run.

The average machine uses between 1.2kWh and 1.5kWh per load, which works out to 27p per hour under the current price cap.

Remember this might change in June, though.

And if you’re thinking that you’re better washing by hand, dishwashers actually use less water – a single dishwasher cycle costs the same in energy and water as turning the hot water tap on for six to nine minutes, according to Compare The Market.

So don’t feel bad about switching it on when you’re too tired – it’s actually cheaper and more environmentally-friendly.

But always fill your dishwasher up if you’re planning to use it (although don’t load more than the machine can handle).

Make sure you scrape all the food from your dishes first as well.

If you’ve only got a couple of plates to wash and they’re not too dirty, it’s probably not worth doing a whole cycle just for them.

And keep an eye out for the time of day you’re doing a wash – between 10pm and 8am are off peak, so it might save you up to £150, according to British Gas.

Similarly, between 4pm and 7pm are the priciest, so try and avoid these times.

But do note the price differences won’t apply to everyone. It’s just if you’re on an economy 7 or 10 tariff – some suppliers charge different prices depending on the time of day you use your appliances.

How else can I save money on my energy bills?

It’s not just the dishwasher that could help you save cash – for example, if you switch to spin cycle on the tumble dryer, it could slash a whopping £53 off your bill.

That’s because the setting uses recycled hot air so the machine doesn’t work as hard as it normally would.

Even the washing machine has a similar version of eco mode which could save you £63 a year.

You can also save a massive £112 a year by adjusting the flow rate on your boiler.

The controls the temperature of your heating – and it’s easy to change.

If you’ve got a combi boiler, just look for the radiator dial.

the ideal temperature to turn it down to is between 60/55c.

This post first appeared on thesun.co.uk