Households right across the UK could be unintentionally increasing their bills due to a common washing machine mistake.
The soaring prices of every day costs means more families are being forced to tighten their belts and make savings where they can. With energy and water bills amongst the rise, we are now paying more to keep things running at home.
This month alone saw the energy price cap surge by a staggering £700 following an announcement from OfGem. For default direct debit customers, the price cap has risen from £1,277 to £1,971 - a rise of £693, the Mirror reports.
Prepayment customers have seen a bigger jump, with their price cap going up by £708, from £1,309 to £2,017. The price cap limits how much households can be charged for each unit of gas and electricity they use.
READ MORE: Martin Lewis' top tips to surviving the cost of living crisis
Meanwhile, the average water bill has risen as high as £420 this year, in another blow to household finances as families already face a rise in council tax and even the weekly food shop. But if you're looking to lower your bills, one place you could start is with your washing machine.
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."
Money Saving Expert Martin Lewis has put together a 'Survival Guide' as many families are forced to choose between eating or heating their homes under "catastrophic" rises. Within the guide he offered top hints and tips to help struggling families save much-needed cash.
Just some top tips include using a microwave rather than an oven as it's cheaper, keeping an eye on direct debits, offers on how to get free or cheap food and benefits available to you.
The financial guru wrote: "On 1 April, the 54% rise in the energy price cap hit 22 million homes, a desperate, typical £700/year increase – catastrophic for those with the lowest incomes. Yet the pain stretches far further – when combined with all the other price rises, we will see a material drop in the standard of living for most on low to middle incomes.
"For some there is sadly no route to cut expenditure below income; that fix will need political intervention. For others, we need a collective endeavour, to work together to take financial pressures off where we can. And that is partly behind this guide."
