Energy experts have explained the cheapest way to make a cup of tea before bills soar for millions of households this winter.
Ofgem last week confirmed its price cap will rise to £3,549 on October 1, for those on default tariffs paying by direct debit.
For those paying by prepayment meter - typically vulnerable households or those struggling to pay for their energy - the price cap will jump to £3,608.
Standard credit customers - so where you pay once you've received your bill - will see their price cap riseto £3,764.
Are you worried about affording your energy bills this winter? Let us know: mirror.money.saving@mirror.co.uk
The huge rise in energy bills means families are looking for ways to cut their bills - no matter how big or small.
One way you might be able to save money is in the kitchen.
Experts at Uswitch have explained how the cheapest way to boil a cup of tea is by using a covered pan on a gas hob.
This is because it is cheaper to use gas compared to electricity - even if it does take longer than the kettle.
For a kettle with a power rating of 3kW, Uswitch estimates that it takes roughly 52 seconds to boil 300ml of water.
This would use 0.043kWh of power, with the cost of electricity being 0.28p. It estimates that for 100 cups of tea, you’d end up spending around £1.21.
If you boil the water with a covered pan on a gas hob, it would take around 217 seconds and use roughly 0.118kWh of power.
Even though it takes longer to boil on the hob, the cost of gas is cheaper at 0.0737p. This means for 100 cups of teas, the price would be around 87p.
It is important the pan is covered so it doesn’t lose any heat unnecessarily - otherwise it’ll take you longer to boil the water and cost you more.
For an uncovered pan, the price would be 98p for 100 cups of tea.
If you use the microwave to heat up a cup of tea, it would take roughly 180 seconds.
As a microwave uses less power than a kettle - Uswitch uses an example of a microwave with a power rating of 0.8kW - the cost for 100 teas would be £1.12.
An energy expert at Uswitch said: “Boiling water in a covered pan on a gas hob is the cheapest way to make a cup of tea, thanks to the lower price of gas compared to electricity.
“Making 100 cups of tea this way would save you 34 pence compared to doing it in a kettle, and 25 pence against using the microwave.
“Make sure to cover pans when you are cooking on the stove, as uncovered saucepans will lose heat and waste energy.”
