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I save £780 a year on my energy bills with these simple tricks – anyone can do them
We explain how you can do the tricks yourself
When Karena Sophia moved into her Victorian house four years ago, her gas and electric bills were £200 a month.
As if that wasn’t high enough, an email from her energy supplier threatened to increase her monthly payments to a hefty £450.
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But, with a few clever hacks, the 44-year old mum of two teenagers stopped the increase. In fact, she has since reduced her payments down to just £135 a month, saving her almost £800 a year.
“I'm a single parent, I can’t afford to pay so much - I knew I had to do something about it," said Karena, a feng shui consultant from Worcestershire.
So, she set about employing all the simple tricks she could find to see if they could save her some money - and found a handful that actually worked.
Lining the back of radiators
Karena's first simple, quick and cheap solution she found was adding thermal lining to the backs of her radiators.
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She explained: “Most of the heat from radiators disappears through the walls, so placing thermal lining – that I bought for a tenner on Amazon and cut up – between the radiators and walls helps to keep heat inside.
"It means I effectively reflect the heat back into the room, so I don't have to have the central heating on for as long. I could feel the difference in the room straight away."
Extra insulation around the house
Karena put a curtain up at the bottom of her staircase, so she didn’t lose the heat going up the stairs, and used tape to block up cracks in the windows.
She has also added extra insulation to her high ceilings and in her cellar.
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“It's very costly to get external insulation, especially if you don’t have cavity walls," she said.
"I don’t because my house was built in 1900 and I was quoted £9000! But internally insulating is easier and costs much less.
“Repairing cracks in walls and doors helps to alleviate heat loss."
The Energy Saving Trust says that insulation could save up to £550 a year on heating a detached house.
Electric blankets on beds and sofas
She also has electric blankets on the beds and on the sofa, which cost her around £45.
The change means Karena has reduced the amount she turns on her heating in the colder months from five hours a day to just one hour in the morning and one in the evening.
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Switching to an air fryer
Karena has also started using an air fryer for nearly all her cooking and she makes meals in batches so that they can be quickly reheated to use less electricity.
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She almost never turns on her oven any more – and, when she does, she has a great energy saving hack.
“Many people don't know this, but having metal trays in the oven causes the oven to use more electricity, so it's better to remove them while cooking to use less energy,” she explained.
Swapping out the tumble dryer
Karena also swapped her tumble dryer from a condenser dryer to a heat pump dryer – which saves her around £5 per month.
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Tumble dryers are an effective way to dry clothes in the winter, but they are very expensive to run.
We recently rounded up the best cheap bath airers which can do the job for far less.
4 ways to keep your energy bills low
Laura Court-Jones, Small Business Editor at Bionic shared her tips.
1. Turn your heating down by one degree
You probably won't even notice this tiny temperature difference, but what you will notice is a saving on your energy bills as a result. Just taking your thermostat down a notch is a quick way to start saving fast. This one small action only takes seconds to carry out and could potentially slash your heating bills by £171.70.
2. Switch appliances and lights off
It sounds simple, but fully turning off appliances and lights that are not in use can reduce your energy bills, especially in winter. Turning off lights and appliances when they are not in use, can save you up to £20 a year on your energy bills
3. Install a smart meter
Smart meters are a great way to keep control over your energy use, largely because they allow you to see where and when your gas and electricity is being used.
4. Consider switching energy supplier
No matter how happy you are with your current energy supplier, they may not be providing you with the best deals, especially if you've let a fixed-rate contract expire without arranging a new one. If you haven't browsed any alternative tariffs lately, then you may not be aware that there are better options out there.
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