Households need to save every penny as the unprecedented cost-of-living crisis sees energy bills soaring despite the Government's price guarantee being in place. With freezing weather blitzing the UK, people need all the help they can get as their gas and electricity costs have soared by 27 per cent since October.
The Express reports that an engineer from British Gas has shared advice on the “little things” that people can do to reduce their energy bills in the short term. Sunny Solanky, who works for the energy supplier as an engineer in the Leicester area, said that the “little things we can all do can make a big difference” when it comes to saving money and conserving energy.
Mr Solankly highlighted acts like drawing blinds and curtains, and using items such as foiled-wrapped cardboard to help reduce costs. He said: “It's quite simple. Put draught excluders under doors when the heat is on. Close blinds and curtains because you lose a lot of heat through your windows.
"Keep furniture away from radiators. If you've got the sofa right against the radiator, it's blocking off the heat, it's not able to then heat the room. You can get a big piece of cardboard, wrap it in some foil and put it behind your radiator. That helps stop the heat getting lost through into the walls rather than into the room.”
One of the biggest issues households face in freezing conditions is frozen pipes, which have a knock-on effect of preventing heating and hot water from getting around the house. Among the warning signs that this is about to happen is the central heating making gurgling sounds or the boiler not turning on. Furthermore, if there is no water coming out of taps or the sink is closed, it could be due to a frozen pipe.
Home insulation is one of the best things people can do to save cash, according to British Gas, with pipe insulation being a worthwhile investment in the winter months. Mr Solanksy added: “By insulating some of your pipes, you can stop them being frozen, which could save you about £20 a year. Putting the foil and cardboard behind radiators, possibly around £25.
"Draught proofing could save £100 a year. It's not a lot of work and it's not expensive things that we're talking about here either. We've always given people the best advice on efficiency in their house, whether it be thermostatic radiator valve, hide thermostats, Smart controls, newer boilers, power flushing, getting the boiler serviced. It's little things that we can all do that can make a big difference.”
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