ENERGY prices are rising but there are easy ways to cut your bills this winter – and you could save a massive £2,210.
Our interactive graphic reveals the heat loss hotspots in your home which can easily be fixed either for very little money or totally for free. Use our guide to help you cut down your bills now and see how much you can save.
From October 1, energy bills are rising 2% with an average household paying £1,755, up from £1,720 per year.
Ben Gallizzi, energy expert at Uswitch, explains: “With the new energy price cap taking effect, households will still be feeling the pressure of high bills this winter.
“Getting into good energy-saving habits now can make a real difference and help keep costs down during the colder months.”
From bleeding your radiators to switching off vampire devices, taking action around your home now will mean you are well prepared for when the evenings get dark and the temperature drops.
Here are all things you can do in every room to cut your energy bills in time for winter, and potentially save up to £2,120.
Hallway – total savings: £444
The front door and letterbox can make the entrance to your home surprisingly drafty.
Installing draught-proofing strips on windows and doors is an easy DIY job that could shave £40 a year off your energy bills, according to Joanna O’Loan, knowledge manager at the Energy Saving Trust.
If you have an open chimney, buy a draught excluder to block it up when not in use, and save a further £60.
“To find draughts, run your hand around windows, doors and skirting boards,” said Joanna.
“If you feel cool air, you likely have a draught that can be sealed with caulk, brushes, strips or other DIY materials.”
Turning off radiators in unused rooms can save money – those in a hallway, where you are unlikely to spend much time, are prime candidates.
Bleed your radiators regularly to avoid them having any cold spots too – online videos can show you how and all you need is a key which can cost as little as £0.97.
Uswitch estimates it could cut your bills by as much as 20pc a year – that’s equivalent to £344, so definitely a worthwhile investment.
Living room – total savings: £300
The recommended temperature to heat your home is between 18 and 21 degrees in the winter, but many households have it much hotter.
Octopus Energy estimates that turning the thermostat down by just one degree will save the average household £145 – and you probably won’t even notice.
Consider buying gadgets that help optimise your heating system. Thermostatic radiator valves, which control the temperature of your radiators, cost from £10 each and could save you £110 a year.
Rearranging the furniture can work wonders too, and of course it won’t cost anything apart from a bit of time.
Move large items such as sofas or armchairs away from radiators, otherwise they’ll absorb the heat rather than letting it spread around the room.
‘My energy saving habits save me £360 a year’
WHEN Pernia Rogers bought her first home two years ago, she was determined to save on her energy bills.
“The flat I had previously rented was very inefficient and the bills were at least £150 a month. I knew I did not want to have that again,” says Pernia, 36, who lives in Barnet, in London.
One of her first moves was to switch all the lightbulbs in her two-bedroom maisonette to new LED versions.
While these are more expensive to buy initially, they are far more efficient and Pernia thinks they save her at least £5 a month.
Another easy swap was to install energy-saving blackout blinds.
“These are probably the best change I’ve made.
“Particularly in the winter, they really keep the cold out and the warm in, and I don’t need to turn the heating on as much,” she says.
In the kitchen, she focused on energy-efficient appliances.
When buying her fridge, washing machine and microwave, she was sure to check their energy efficiency rating.
This is a colour-coded system running from A (the best) to G (the worst), and indicates how much energy a device uses relative to its performance.
Pernia, who works as a financial educator and runs the website Your Finance Travel Buddy, usually batch cooks her meals for the week so the oven and the hob don’t need to be used every day, and then warms them in the microwave, which is much cheaper to use.
She also always waits for a full load before putting the washing machine on and, on sunny days, hangs her washing in the garden rather than using an energy-guzzling tumble dryer.
Overall, Pernia thinks all of her energy-saving changes save her £30 a month on her bills, and she now pays on average £90 a month – saving about £360 a year compared to her previous home.
Her favourite gadget of all is her energy smart meter, which she finds helpful in monitoring her energy use and nudging her into better habits.
“I like that it’s accurate and that I can track it easily.
“It has really encouraged me to switch off everything at the wall when I’m not using it,” she says.
And watch out for vampire devices using up energy on standby mode.
Leaving your TV on standby will add 23p a week to your bills, a Playstation 4 another 23p and a computer 3.6p.
Octopus calculates that switching off all your unused device could save £45 a year.
Kitchen – total saving: £131
There are plenty of energy-sapping devices in the kitchen.
Changing the way you cook is one way to save – microwaves not only cook faster than ovens, they use about half as much power.
Using a 1 kilowatt microwave for 15 minutes costs around 6p, while using a 2 kilowatt oven for the same time costs 13p, according to Uswitch.
“In reality, the oven would also probably take double the amount of time to cook the food, taking the actual cost to 26p,” says Ben Gallizzi, energy expert at Uswitch.
Using the microwave once a day for a month would cost about £1.80, compared to £7.80 for the oven – that’s an £18 saving over the three winter months.
Slow cookers and air fryers are other cheaper alternatives to an oven.
Tumble dryers are one of the biggest energy-guzzlers in the house, costing on average £120 a year to run, says Uswitch.
The typical cycle costs 64.3p, but switching to a 300 watt heated airer would cost 39p for five hours.
Assuming you do five loads of washing a week, you could save more than £15 over the winter months.
Use the washing line when you can to save another £50 a year.
A drinks fridge might be trendy but it’s a huge drain on your wallet.
A mini fridge uses about 190 kilowatt hours of energy a year, costing about £51 to run, says Uswitch.
Turning it off for half the year, so you can have it for summer barbecues and Christmas parties, saves £25.50.
Other good kitchen habits include not overfilling the kettle to save £10 a year, and only running the dishwasher when it’s full – using it once less a week could save you £12 a year.
I’m an energy expert – here’s what help you can get this winter
ALEX Belsham-Harris, head of energy policy at Citizens Advice, says:
Talk to your supplier if you’re struggling. They should help you set up an affordable payment plan if you have fallen behind. Energy is a priority debt so there are serious consequences if you don’t pay.
Speak to your local council which may offer grants to low income households, particularly in emergency situations such as if you have lost your job. You can search the gov.uk website to find your local authority and see what help is available. The Citizens Advice website has a list of grants on offer from energy suppliers that you may be eligible for. The Warm Home Discount provides a one-off £150 reduction on energy bills and applications will open in October.
Make your home more efficient so it is cheaper to heat. You might be able to apply for help with the cost of upgrades such as insulation, a heat pump or new boiler through schemes such as the Energy Company Obligation (ECO) or Great British Insulation Scheme (GBIS).
Get on the Priority Service Register, a service for those who need extra help, for example if you are disabled or a pensioner. It means your supplier can take meter readings for you if you are unable to, and will ensure your bill is in a format you can easily understand.
Seek advice if you are struggling. Don’t bury your head in the sand. It is important to find help and see what support is available for you. The Citizens Advice helpline is available at 0808 223 1133.
Bathroom – total saving: £398
Long showers might be refreshing on a hot day, but they’re adding to your bills.
Keeping showers to a maximum of four minutes could save the average household £45 a year, says the Energy Saving Trust.
Search online for playlists of four minute songs to help you keep track while lathering up.
Switching to a more efficient showerhead model will also help.
“Electric showers are one of the biggest household energy guzzlers, costing an average household £80 a year,” says Ben.
“A water-efficient shower head will cut down the amount of hot water you use but it will still feel like a strong shower.”
Anyone who prefers a soak in the tub might want a rethink as baths typically use far more water than a short shower.
Swapping one bath a week for a shower could shave £9 off your bills.
Consider switching to a water meter, if you don’t have one already, too.
These tend to be a cheaper option for households where there are fewer residents than bedrooms – for example, if you have a three-bedroom house but only two people living there.
How much you could save depends on your provider and how much water you use.
Essex & Suffolk Water estimates that being on a meter could reduce bills by £264 a year.
Home office – total saving: £587
Fire up the laptop and use a comparison site to find a cheaper energy bill in time for winter, when prices are expected to rise again.
Some 50% of people who switched their energy tariff in June saved £451, according to the comparison site MoneySuperMarket, and 10% saved more than £1,000.
Among the cheapest deals are Fuse Energy’s 15 month September 2025 Fixed V5 tariff, with an average cost of £1,557 a year (£198 cheaper than the energy price cap) and E.on Next’s Next Fixed 12 month V87 tariff at £1,645 (£110 less than the price cap).
MoneySuperMarket said these are average costs for a medium usage household, using 2,700 KwH of electricity and 11,500 KwH of gas per year, and paying by direct debit.
Turning the lights off when you leave a room is an age-old trick, but swapping your lightbulbs for LED ones could make a real difference, saving about £136 a year.
These bulbs cost a bit more so you might not want to change them all at once, but swap them in when your older bulbs blow.
Loft – total saving: £260
Homes without insulation lose about a quarter of their heat through the roof, according to the Energy Savings Trust.
But even if you have insulation, it may not be enough.
If it is less than 15cm deep, you should consider topping it up to at least 27cm, which is the recommended minimum thickness.
The Energy Saving Trust estimates that installing loft insulation costs about £900.
Those with older homes might also consider cavity wall insulation, which is another way to help your house retain heat.
However, this costs more at about £1,100 for a flat up to £4,000 or more for a detached house.
Installing both types could save a typical semi-detached home £260 a year.
