Energy saving tips: Five ways to cut costs this winter

The energy price cap, or the amount suppliers are allowed to charge for each unit of gas and electricity, will increase by around 5% from January 2024, the regulator Ofgem has said.

This means the typical household will pay £94 more each year, although your bill will depend on how much you use, where you live and how you pay.

While this rise will put additional pressure on many households, there are ways to reduce your costs.

The figures in this article, calculated by experts at Cambridge Architectural Research (CAR) and Nesta, are based on the energy price cap figures announced for January-March 2024.

Since prices are lower until the end of 2023, you may see slightly reduced savings until then.

Most of the energy we use at home goes on heating.

Turning the thermostat down by just one degree - from 19C to 18C - could save you about £113 annually.

You can save an additional £12 each year by using your boiler's timer - if it has one - to ensure your heating switches off when the house is empty.

While turning down the thermostat could be a quick way to save money, the government recommends a room temperature of at least 18C. Older people and those who are ill or disabled may need it to be warmer.

If your house is too cold, it could also encourage damp, which can lead to mould. People living with mould are more likely to suffer from respiratory illnesses, infections, allergies or asthma.

If you have a combi boiler, try reducing the flow temperature for the water going to your radiators to 60C.

A higher temperature will heat your home faster, but it could also mean bigger bills.

Combi boilers tend to capture and recycle heat less efficiently at higher temperatures - meaning it requires more gas to heat your home.

If you have a conventional boiler, such as a system with a hot water tank, you could try setting it to 65C. It's important not to set it any lower as it could create a health risk - legionella bacteria could develop in the water.

If you want to consider adjusting the flow temperature, the Energy Saving Trust has more information and Nesta has a guide to walk you through the process.

If you rent your home, you might want to check with your landlord before making any changes.

Investing in a more water-efficient showerhead - worth about £10 - could save you around £71 over the year. They work by restricting the amount of water coming through the head, meaning you use less water for the same length of shower.

You can also save some £61 by cutting the length of your showers from seven to four minutes.

Doing both will save you even more, though slightly less than the combined total as you'll be using less water overall.

Many radiators have valves that control the temperature in each room.

Consider turning the valve on radiators in rooms you use less often to the midway point, often three out of five.

This should still heat the room to 18-20C, while saving the typical home some £50 per year.

Keeping doors closed will also help trap heat.

Poorly insulated homes lose heat more easily and are harder to keep warm.

Draught-proofing is one of the cheapest and most effective ways to save energy.

To stop cold air getting in and heat escaping, consider:

But do not block extractor fans, wall vents and airbricks. These are necessary for ventilating certain rooms, like your kitchen and bathroom.

The cost depends on which areas you want to draught-proof and how you want to do it. A professional draught-proofing service could save more energy. The Energy Saving Trust has further advice.

All the savings listed above are based on what Ofgem, the energy regulator, calls a typical household in Great Britain - a three-bed, gas heated, semi-detached house.

In numbers, that's a house that uses 11,500 kWh of gas at a cost of 7.4p per kWh, and 2,700 kWh of electricity at 28.6p per kWh each year. If you use more, or less, your savings will change accordingly.

Energy costs are set for January to March 2024 and are likely to change again from April, meaning the amount you'll save will also change.

Combining all the measures in this article could save a typical household around £400 a year. Due to potential double counting, this is less than what you would get by adding up each individual measure.

Some people will have already implemented some of the measures listed above, meaning they'll see smaller savings. Severe energy rationing could also lead to unwanted effects and dangers - underheated and damp homes come with health risks.

These tips have been chosen in collaboration with UK broadcasters - including the BBC, ITV, Sky, Channel 4 and Channel 5 - as well as Citizens Advice, the Climate Change Committee, the Energy Saving Trust and Nesta.