How Brits can slash their energy bill by £145 after making one simple change – as household bills set to rise in days
BRITS can slash their energy bill by £145 after making one simple change in their home – it comes as bills are set to rise in days.
The change is as easy as rotating a dial or pushing a button and could be barely noticed by your household.
Lowering your thermostat by one degree could slash your bill over the course of a year as your home uses less energy.
Homes are normally heated to around 22C or 21C – and cutting this by just one degree could make a big difference to your wallet, but not your comfort.
Brits could save £145 over the course of 2025, power supplier Octopus Energy believes.
Making the change now could save your family some much needed cash with household power costs set to increase 1.2 per cent this month as regulator Ofgem raises the price cap.
The new January price cap will add another £21 to annual bills for homes in England, Scotland and Wales, rising from £1,717 to £1,738 per year.
That 1.2 per cent rise is being slapped on top of a 10 per cent rise in October.
The cap is expected to rise again in April.
Ofgem changes the price cap for households every three months based on the cost of energy on wholesale markets.
Octopus Energy says households should not switch their heating one and off or boost the heating for a short period if they want to save cash.
The power supplier told the Express: “Tweaking your thermostat – using it as an on/off switch or boost for example – can mean more energy is wasted – you’ll be comfier and use your energy more efficiently if you set it and leave it on for when you need it.
“Setting your thermostat to somewhere between 18-21C is ideal, and turning down the temperature by just 1 degree could save up to £145 on your energy bill.”
In 2022, researchers from University College London used thermostat date from 13,000 homes in Britain to see exactly what you could save.
They found that for each 1C decrease in thermostat temperatures between 22C and 18C, an average home used around £130 less energy.
Citizens Advice adds that you should check your thermostatic radiator valves (TRVs) to make sure you’re not heating rooms you don’t use. These are the controls on your radiator that let you set its individual temperature.
They’re usually attached to one of the pipes that goes into your radiator and have a dial with numbers on that you can adjust.
The charity says: “Check what the TRVs on your radiators are set to. If they’re on a high setting in rooms where you don’t spend much time, try turning them down to a low setting to save energy.
“Don’t turn them down to zero – this will turn off the radiator completely. Even in a room you don’t use much, there should be some heat to stop damp and mould from developing.”
Other top tips for keeping your home warm include investing in insulation, sealing leaks and draughts, shutting your curtains and getting a more efficient boiler.
How do I calculate my energy bill?
BELOW we reveal how you can calculate your own energy bill.
To calculate how much you pay for your energy bill, you must find out your unit rate for gas and electricity and the standing charge for each fuel type.
The unit rate will usually be shown on your bill in p/kWh.The standing charge is a daily charge that is paid 365 days of the year – irrespective of whether or not you use any gas or electricity.
You will then need to note down your own annual energy usage from a previous bill.
Once you have these details, you can work out your gas and electricity costs separately.
Multiply your usage in kWh by the unit rate cost in p/kWh for the corresponding fuel type – this will give you your usage costs.
You’ll then need to multiply each standing charge by 365 and add this figure to the totals for your usage – this will then give you your annual costs.
Divide this figure by 12, and you’ll be able to determine how much you should expect to pay each month from April 1.