Five Christmas day mistakes adding HUNDREDS to bills – and how to avoid them
ALL things considered, thinking of ways to slash energy bills on Christmas Day might be the last of your concerns.
But there are some easy mistakes which will see costs rack up and you'll want to avoid.
The average family is expected to spend hundreds of pounds on Christmas gifts and food and drink over the festive period.
So you'll want to do all you can to protect your bank account, particularly after an already expensive year for consumers.
Whether it's using the wrong kitchen appliances, or adding lids to your pans, The Sun has compiled a list of five mistakes you'll want to avoid this Christmas Day.
Using the wrong kitchen appliances
Cooking in a cost-effective manner on Christmas Day is all about using the arsenal of appliances you've got at your disposal.
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But of course, some appliances are cheaper to use than others and can offer you similar results for less money.
Air fryers, for example, can be cheaper to warm up any mince pies or cook vegetables compared to a conventional oven.
And microwaves are another good option for warming up food fast as they get to the desired cooking temperature quicker.
Natalie Mathie, energy expert at Uswitch, said: "Using the oven for 20 minutes to warm up a dish would cost 18p, but five minutes in a microwave would be 2p and five minutes in an air fryer would cost about 3p.”
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It might not seem a lot of money, but making this simple switch from the oven to microwave will see savings tot up over the year.
Make the change for 365 days and you would save £65.
Taking lids off pans
Whoever lands the task of cooking on Christmas Day will want to make sure they put lids on any pans.
This stops any heat from escaping and makes the cooking process much more efficient.
If not, you'll need to use a higher heat to keep the water boiling.
Natalie from Uswitch said: "Using a 1.95kW hob on half power for ten minutes would cost 4p — but costs will double if you need to heat the pan at full power instead."
If you're using the same power hob for an hour, that's a 24p difference just by whacking a lid on.
Make this mistake for 10 minutes every day for a year, and you'll be losing out on £14.60.
Leaving the Christmas lights on all day
Christmas lights can't help but get you in a festive mood, but keeping them on all day will adds to bills.
Instead, only turn on your lights when it gets dark, or opt for timed or flashing lights to save money.
Gareth Kloet, energy spokesperson at Go Compare, said: "Our energy calculator estimates that leaving your Christmas lights on all day will cost 53p a day, adding up to £3.71 a week.
"By limiting how much you leave these lights on, or opting for timed or flashing lights, it can help to reduce your energy consumption."
Not turning off unused appliances
Extra appliances might need to be called into action around Christmas Day, but make sure you turn them off after.
Extra mini fridges in the garage to store all that festive booze, for example, could be a drain on your bills if you don't turn them off after they've been emptied.
Electrical Safety First says the average mini-fridge uses 100 watts - costing 2.7p an hour to run or 65p a day.
But accidentally leave it running all-year round and it would add £237 to your electricity bill overall.
Using your fridge all wrong
It might be tempting to cram as much food and drink into your fridge or freezer, but think again.
When your appliance is overstuffed it can make it harder to keep your food cold, forcing the motor to work harder.
It's particularly important to keep any vents clear, so leave space between the sides and top and bottom of the unit to let the cool air flow around inside.
Make sure you don't end up under packing the unit though, as this can make any fridge freezer run less efficiently too.
If you've got any empty freezer space, try stuffing it with newspaper too - that'll help save you on your bills.
Making sure it's in the right place will increase its efficiency too.
Experts at previously told The Sun: "If your fridge doesn’t have the right ventilation, or lacks space around it, then this can drive energy efficiency down by as much as 15%."
That's bound to add tens of pounds to your bills every year, with the average fridge freezer costing around £350 to run every 12 months.
How to save money on energy bills
Energy bills have fallen significantly over the last few months, but they're still much higher compared to two years ago, when they were £1,216 for the average household paying by direct debit.
So you'll want to do everything you can to save money where possible, including cutting back your energy usage.
You can do this through any number of ways, including buying items that mean you don't have to put the heating on.
For example, it might be worth purchasing an energy-saving gadget that avoids putting the heating on.
Devices like draught excluders or heated throws can be great ways to save on bills.
You might even be able to get free money to help cover the cost of bills too, via the Household Support Fund (HSF).
The latest round of funding is worth £842million and has been distributed among local authorities.
That means what you are entitled to varies depending on where you live, although in most cases help is offered to those on benefits or a low income.
You should contact your local council to see what help is available. You can find your local authority by using the Government's online locator tool.
Meanwhile, a number of energy firms are paying customers to cut down their usage through the Demand Flexibility Service (DFS).
The service encourages households to reduce their energy when there is high demand on the network.
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So far, 37 suppliers have signed up to the scheme, so it's likely yours will be. Get in touch with your provider for more information.