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Catherine Addison-Swan

Martin Lewis reveals 'easy, painless ways' to cut down on energy use that can save money on bills

Martin Lewis MoneySavingExpert

Martin Lewis has issued a helpful list of 'painless' ways that can help people reduce how much energy they use at home - slashing money off their bills.

Many households are desperately looking for ways to cut back during the cost of living crisis, with energy bills rising as we head into the coldest months of the year. But with so much advice floating around, it can be difficult to know which tips to try that will be worth your time.

On the latest episode of the Martin Lewis Money Show, the financial expert presented his 'Energy Savers Checklist', with easy and helpful tips that are "good for your pocket, good for the environment, and good for energy security" as he addressed warnings of power cuts this winter. From adjusting your boiler settings and thermostat to investing in insulating jackets and reflective panels, here are the twelve important tips he urged viewers to try at home.

Fit free water-saving shower heads

Martin encouraged households to visit the Save Water Save Money website, where 900,000 "freebies" are available from different companies including water-saving shower heads. These aerated shower heads pump air through to create a similar shower pressure while reducing how much water is actually used, and Martin said that these can save £50 a year on heating bills.

"I always talk about this when I'm talking about water saving, but actually most of the water we use is heated. We pay for it to be heated - use less water, and you'll use less heat," Martin explained.

The 'one degree challenge'

Martin urged viewers to turn their thermostat down by just one degree to make significant savings on their energy bills. He added that the World Health Organisation says that 18 degrees is a healthy temperature for most adults, though if you have younger, older or people with health conditions in your home it may need to be higher.

"Who, when it gets cold, turns the thermostat up in their house?" he asked his audience, with many people saying that they did. "The thermostat dictates what the temperature is - don't turn it up, just wait for it to get to the heat, and then you won't need to pay too much more," he advised.

Use 'tactical' curtains

Martin explained that making the most of your curtains by knowing when to open and shut them can help insulate your home. "When the sun is shining, it's letting light and heat in to the house - so you want the curtains open," he said.

"When it gets dark, it's not, you want to keep the heat in - so close the curtains." The expert also advised households to go one extra step and line their curtains with a fleece, saying that there are lots of ways to do so cheaply with tips available online.

Turn down your boiler's flow temperature

Another important piece of money-saving advice from Martin that he described as a "no-brainer" was to look at your flow temperature if you have a combi boiler. He explained that many boilers are set higher than they need to be, which is "really inefficient" - but you can easily turn this down without affecting your heating.

"You'd normally want it to be around 60 degrees," he advised, directing people to the Money Saving Boiler Challenge website. "It won't affect the heat in your house, and it won't affect your hot water temperature, though it might take slightly longer to get up to the maximum temperature - but it can cut £100 a year off your bill, and is well worth everyone doing."

Check your fridge

Another easy thing to do at home is check the temperature of your fridge, Martin advised. "Five degrees is what your fridge needs to be set to, and minus 18 for your freezer," he told viewers.

"If it's colder, you're wasting too much money," he warned. Most fridges and freezers have temperature gauges, so are easy to adjust yourself - if yours has a numbered scale rather than a temperature gauge, you can buy a fridge thermometer for as little as £4 according to the MoneySavingExpert website.

Lower your hot water temperature

The next piece of advice was one that even Martin himself admitted to being guilty off. "You run a hot bath, and you add cold to it, don't you?" he asked the audience.

"You're paying to pump your heat up on the hot water and then it's too hot, so even though you've paid for it you're now mixing it with cold water to reduce the temperature - makes no sense," he added. He advised that the recommended temperature setting for hot water is 55 degrees on a combi boiler.

Invest in a cylinder jacket

If you have a cylinder on your hot water tank, Martin encourages spending around £15 on an insulating jacket to place on it. This can reduce heat loss by up to a whopping 75%, saving up to £80 per year on energy bills.

The MoneySavingExpert website recommends buying a cylinder jacket that displays the British Standard Kitemark. The jacket should be at least 80mm thick.

Adjust your radiators

Martin urged people to check all the radiators in their home, and adjust the valves on any radiators that are in rooms they don't use to save on heating costs. "We all know this, it's not rocket science - we just don't all do it," he said.

"You only want the radiators on in the rooms you're using," Martin advised. The valves can also be adjusted to lower settings in warmer rooms, which will stop water flowing through that particular radiator and save energy while the boiler continues to heat other rooms.

Put reflective panels behind radiators

Another tip when it comes to radiators is putting reflective panels behind them. Martin described these as "really useful", as they can help reflect heat back into the room rather than letting it escape through the external wall.

"There are specialist ones that are better - you can just use tin foil, it's not as good but it'll work," Martin said. The MoneySavingExpert website warns that tin foil is not as effective as it can crinkle, rip and oxidise more easily, so it's worth investing in proper sheets if you can.

Tweak your TV settings

According to the MoneySavingExpert website, most TVs now come with special settings that are designed to help them run as efficiently as possible. It's worth checking your TV for 'power saving' or 'eco mode' settings, which will often reduce the brightness of your screen to reduce energy use or power it down when you're not likely to be using it.

"We watch four hours of TV a day on average," Martin told viewers. "Put it on a low-energy setting, and it will save a little bit of money."

Block your draughts

Martin instructed people to walk around their house to scope out where any draughts may be coming in, and find ways to block them. "I cannot tell you the difference you'll feel, and for your heating, by doing a bit of draught detecting," he said.

The MoneySavingExpert website says that draught-proofing can cut 2.5% of energy bills, equating to savings of around £60 a year for the average home. Martin suggested making your own sausage dog draught excluder from an old pair of woolly tights filled with some stuffing or old socks.

Minimise your tumble dryer use

Finally, Martin advised viewers to rethink how much they use the biggest energy user in their home - the tumble dryer. He explained that the dryers typically cost £1 for each load, making a huge contribution to energy bills.

"Minimise your use, maximise your loads," Martin encouraged. "Put it on an airer first so you don't have to have it on as long, or get yourself a de-humidifier that could actually work and uses a lot less wattage."

Martin advised that these suggestions are merely the "tip of the iceberg" when it comes to adjustments you can make around your home to cut down your energy bill costs. He urged viewers to visit the energy saving tips section of the MoneySavingExpert website to find lots more handy pieces of advice.

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