10 ways to keep your energy bills down this winter as gas and electric prices skyrocket

Some of them are obvious and all of them are more than achievable with a bit of planning before the winter months.

Here are some tips on how to save on your energy bills:

1 Swap central heating for thicker clothes and an electric blanket at night

Putting an extra layer of clothes on will keep your body heat in and is an easy way to save your central heating for the most essential times. Similarly an electric blanket or even a hot water bottle and a thick wool blanket on your bed will keep you toastie warm at night. Electric blankets use around 40W to 120W so it's basically the cost of running a lightbulb.

2 Use a heated airer rather than a tumble drier

A heated airer will use much less energy than a tumble drier and can be bought for as little as £50. Some heated airers can cost as little as 3p to 6p per hour to run. The savings on your energy bills in the long run will more than offset the initial outlay.

3 Use an air frier rather than using your oven

Air friers are much less expensive to run than a conventional oven and you can cook almost as much as you could in your oven. An average oven uses 3,000 watts of energy per hour – double the average air fryer. Air friers cost between £50 and £200.

4 Make sure plugs are turned off at the wall

It’s commonplace to leave your electrical items on standby rather than turning them off at the wall. But even in standby mode you are being charged. Get into the habit of turning the plugs off at the wall when an item is not in use. You can save around £55 per year just by doing this.

5 Switch to LED lightbulbs

Switching out your energy-saving bulbs to LED bulbs will definitely save you money. LED bulbs require much less power and also last a lot longer.

6 Fit draft excluders

Find any spots in your house that let in draughts – usually around doors and windows – and fit draft excluders. You can purchase stick on strips that will keep the draughts out and insulate your home much better in the winter months. You could save as much as £45 per year.

7 Have shorter showers

Heating the water for a shower will set you back around 45p for every five minutes you are in it come October. So just halving the time you spend in the shower will save you a lot of money over the course of a year. You can be clean in as little as two minutes!

8 Keep the heated towel rail off

A luxury but is it really necessary? Why not just buy a really big towel and wrap yourself up as soon as you come out of the shower if you’re worried about being cold?

9 Give up the bath

A five-minute shower will use much less energy to heat the water than filling a bath. If you’re a bath addict try cutting down to just one a week. Your bills will thank you.

10 Don’t overfill the kettle

Avoid overfilling the kettle and you could save yourself £11 a year on your electricity bill. Just boil enough for one drink at a time.

If you were to use all the methods above, you could save yourself hundreds of pounds a year at a time when energy prices are soaring.