The rise in price of energy and water bills is a significant contributing factor in the ongoing cost of living crisis.
The new energy price cap came into force on April 1, which meant that, for those on a default tariff who pay by direct debit, the cap increased from £1,277 to £1,971 - a rise of £693. Prepayment customers have seen a bigger jump, with their price cap going up by £708, from £1,309 to £2,017.
Meanwhile, the average water bill has risen as high as £420 this year, in another blow to household finances. As a result, many households are trying to find ways to cut costs.
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However, if you're looking to lower your bills, one place you could start is with your washing machine, reports the Mirror. Plenty of us are guilty of not washing our clothes in the most economical way - either on too high, or too long of a setting.
Experts at British Gas estimate that running your washing machine on a 30° cycle instead of using higher temperatures can save around £28 on your annual bill.
Joanna Flowers, engineer at British Gas, said: “There are several things you can do to be more energy efficient with the washing machine. Use the economy settings to save water and energy and drying your clothes outside as much as you can when the weather allows.
“In the winter, you should also avoid drying clothes on radiators as much as you can as it will make your boiler work harder to heat the room. Setting your washing machine to wash at 30 degrees rather than higher temperatures will save around £28 a year on energy bills.”
Another way to save money with water is only filling the kettle with as much water as you need. Many of us are guilty of not sticking to this rule - and it could be adding £87 to your energy bill.
