1. Wash clothes at 30 degrees

Washing your clothes at 30 degrees doesn’t just help the planet; it saves you money on your electricity bills, too.

Dialling down the temperature of your wash from 40 to 30 degrees uses 40% less energy over a year, as most of the energy is used to heat the water. So, if you’re running a few loads every week, this will soon add up.

Small steps like this can significantly reduce your energy usage, so you can turn on the heating without worrying about a costly bill.

2. Get an app

Managing how you heat your home through an app like Nest or Google Home keeps you in control of your energy usage and helps you save money, too.

Be honest: how often do you whizz around the house turning down radiator valves and flicking off lights you’re not using? When you can do it all via an app, it becomes much easier to only pay for the energy you use.

3. Insulate your home

Installing loft or cavity wall insulation ahead of the colder seasons may seem like a significant investment upfront. Still, it will quickly pay off when you see your energy bills drop.

The government’s Green Homes Grant can help towards the cost of home energy improvements like insulation, double glazing or heat pumps – find out if you’re eligible here.

Equally, if you have the budget to swap wooden floors for cosy carpets or update your doors to more energy-efficient models, these steps will help reduce your heating bills, too.

If you can’t afford to splash out on larger insulation projects, try smaller hacks like buying a draught excluder, switching to thermal curtains or using weatherproofing strips to seal up any air leaks in windows and doors.

4. Install a smart meter

When you can see how much energy you’re using at any given moment, it can be a fantastic incentive to switch things off.

Smart meters provide you with a real-time snapshot of what’s running up your electricity bill, encouraging you to switch lights off, turn the TV off standby and use your washing machine and dishwasher more economically.

Many smart meters use a green, amber and red colour coding system designed to make you more energy-conscious. Ideally, you should aim to be in the green for most of the time, and the handy colour system can help you to reduce usage in other areas when you want to turn on the heating.

It doesn’t cost anything to have a smart meter installed at your property: the energy provider covers the price.

Simply contact your current electricity supplier, and they’ll be happy to arrange an installation date.

5. Switch energy providers

If you haven’t switched your energy provider in a while, you could be paying over the odds to heat your home this winter.

Most gas and electricity providers will place you onto a more expensive default tariff when your existing tariff ends – hiking up your bills considerably – unless you take action.

So, it pays to stay on the ball if you want to save valuable cash on heating your home during the colder months. And the savings can be huge – pocketing you potentially hundreds to put towards next year’s holiday or your weekly Saturday night takeaway.

The good news is, it’s never been easier to search for the best energy deals online. Simply enter your details here, and browse the best deals on the market to cut the cost of cosiness.

Stay cosy this winter

Hopefully, these five tips will help you to slash your energy bills this winter, preparing you for a cosy and cost-effective Christmas period.

If you need help switching energy providers, we’ve searched for the best gas and electricity tariffs on the market, so you can find a quick quote when you search online. Get started here.