A huge hike in energy bills has hit millions of homes after the regulator Ofgem increased its price cap by almost £700.
For those on a default tariff who pay by direct debit, the Ofgem price cap has gone up 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.
The massive jump in the cost of gas and electricity means many households are looking for ways to lower their energy usage.
When it comes to cooking, you might be wondering if you’re better off using a microwave or conventional oven to save on costs.
We spoke to experts at Uswitch.com to find out the answer.
Is it cheaper to use a microwave or oven?
Sarah Broomfield, energy expert at Uswitch, told The Mirror that it is generally much more energy efficient to use a microwave, compared to using an oven.
“For example, cooking a baked potato in the oven would cost around 27p compared to 3p in the microwave,” she said.
For this comparison, Uswitch looked at an oven that uses 0.97kW of power, versus a microwave that uses 0.8Kw.
Are you worried about paying your energy bill? Let us know: mirror.money.saving@mirror.co.uk
But as well as using less energy to begin with, you typically use a microwave for much less - so for a baked potato, this could take one hour in the oven, whereas a microwave could only take seven minutes.
Based on these time frames and power usage, Uswitch estimates it would cost 27p to cook a baked potato in the oven and just 3p in the microwave.
Most ready meals are much quicker in the microwave as well. You'll generally find most easy meals take around five minutes in the microwave, compared to around 30 minutes in the oven.
Slow cookers can also be a cheaper alternative to cooking in an oven, said Ms Broomfield.
“They use less energy and come with the added benefit of providing a fully cooked meal when you finish work if you get your timings right,” she said.
“A casserole cooked in the oven would cost around 54p in energy, versus 22p in the slow cooker.”
We've also look at whether you're better off having a bath or shower, if you're looking to slash your water bill.
To save the most cash, the answer is to have a short shower as this will use less water.
The average water bill will rise as high as £420 this year, with the number of people that need help paying this expected to rise from 1.1million to 1.4million.
