British Gas, OVO, EDF, Eon and Octopus customers will be handed a free £119 in their bank account for ending nine habits, it has been advised. Energy experts and money-saving experts have urged customers to change their habits to ensure they are saving as much cash as possible.
In the wake of Christmas, amid the rising energy price cap, it is a “great time” to find a way to cut costs, an expert has said.Uswitch.com found 96 per cent of households admit to at least one bad energy habit, with the worst offenders being revealed.
The habits inclue leaving devices on standby or plugged in, setting the washing machine to more than 40C (potentially adding an extra £17 to their yearly energy costs compared to washing at 30C) and running it half-full.
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An extra wash each week could add £7 to annual bills. Running a diswasher half-full can add nearly £8 a year to energy costs, too, while not using eco mode could cost you £16, Uswitch has gone on to warn UK households.
Running a hot tap can waste 100 litres of water in just 10 minutes, equating to an energy cost of around 20p, or if done once a week, £10. Leaving the TV on when no one is watching could add £1.94 to energy bills each year.
And six in 10 households admit to leaving lights on when no one is in the room, costing them an extra £8 annually. Elise Melville, energy expert at Uswitch.com, said: “Energy prices rose on New Year’s Day for millions of people on standard variable tariffs, and they’re predicted to go up again on April 1, so now’s a great time to make a New Year’s Resolution to cut your bills.
“Occasionally leaving the lights on or overfilling the kettle is only natural, but if these bad habits are the norm, you could be adding hundreds to your energy bill unnecessarily. The biggest energy guzzlers in the home usually involve heating water, so consider using the eco mode on white goods and running them only when full to keep costs down.
“It’s also important to remember that there are fixed deals on the market that could save you money. If you’re on a standard variable tariff, you could lock in lower rates for twelve months or longer by switching to a fixed deal. The average household could currently save up to £122 per year versus the price cap by fixing.”
Using the tumble dryer when it’s a hot day outside is another big mistake, as well as letting the hot shower run while you’re not in it, letting the hot/warm tap keep running while washing up, leaving the fridge door open for longer than needed and leaving phone charging when it’s reached max battery.