Britons could “instantly” slash their energy bills with an “affordable” savings hack, ahead of the pending price cap rise, an energy expert has said.
Draught-proofing homes, which prevents cold air from getting in and warm air getting out, could save households £145 a year.
Turning off appliances which have been left on standby could see people save between £60 and £70 a year, according to Jon Bonnar, the managing director of Cotswold Energy.
This could lead to a combined saving of £215 a year which may help billpayers, particularly as Ofgem’s chief executive has warned “some” households will be pay more for energy bills this winter.
Energy bills are on the rise but there are ways for people to save money
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Draughts can appear in all sorts of places, from doors and windows to fireplaces and cracks on the wall.
He explained: “Thankfully, simple draught-proofing measures can be an affordable way to instantly reduce your energy bills. If you’re comfortable with typical DIY jobs, you should be able to do the majority of them yourself.
“The simplest measure is often a draught excluder (these are available for floors, letterboxes and chimneys), but you could also consider installing door brush strips and keyhole covers and using silicone filler or expanding polyurethane foam to fill in gaps.
“Once you’ve eliminated major draughts, you might find that you feel comfortable turning your thermostat a little lower. This is extremely beneficial, as even a single degree reduction in a typical home could rack up to £145 savings a year, according to Which?.”
However, energy saving measures do not need to be an extensive as draught-proofing, Mr Bonnar said.
He explained: “Turning appliances – think phones, consoles, TVs and computers – off standby can help to prevent wasted energy usage. According to the Energy Saving Trust, you could save around £60-£70 a year just by switching off these 'vampire devices'.
"Instead, turn the electronics off completely by the socket – and remember to unplug/switch off your chargers once your devices are fully charged.
“If you tend to forget to do this, turning on energy-saving/eco mode on any compatible devices is a good idea.”
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Ofgem is set to raise the energy price cap in January
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Last week, industry regulator Ofgem announced it was consulting on plans to protect the energy market and consumers from the growing risk of “bad debt”.
The watchdog proposed a one-off price cap increase of £16, equivalent to around £1.33 per month, to be paid between April 2024 and March 2025.
The measure is intended to help energy suppliers recover nearly £3billion in debt from customers who are unable to pay their gas and electricity costs.
Much of the existing Government support during the pandemic to assist families has ended, meaning many billpayers face paying similar amounts or more for their energy bills this winter.
Ofgem’s energy price cap will rise from £1,834 to £1,928 a year in January, based on a typical household who uses gas and electricity and pays by Direct Debit.
