Many families across Britain are set for a difficult winter as average energy bills are set to hit £3,549 a year in October. This huge price hike paired with troubling inflation rates and falling real wages means that people across the country are being forced to become more conscious than ever over their energy use, with major appliances such as ovens and fridges being major culprits in racking up household costs.
While there's only so much that British households can do to try and reduce their energy bills, given the current cost of living crisis is dictated by factors that are largely beyond their control, many money-savvy people have been sharing their top tips in recent weeks to help those in need.
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One man has taken to TikTok to explain the major reason behind freezers being huge electricity guzzlers in particular, sharing one important tip that could help you keep costs down as the cost of living surges begin to hit.
Yas Caoimhín has taken to the video-sharing app to offer advice around the household appliance, as other people have been left perplexed as to how their smart meters are showing rising energy use when they have minimal appliances turned on.
In response to a video of another man showing his smart meter before claiming that he has "nothing on in his house" apart from his fridge, Caoimhín - who goes by the handle @ yascaoimhin on TikTok - explained why white goods can prove costly to run.
"Here's something for all of you to know. Electricity is just going to be expensive for the next six months whether we like it or not.
"The most expensive things to run in your house via electricity or gas are things that take cold things and make them hot, or take hot things and make them cold," he shares.
"So your hot water, your fridge, your freezer, your dishwasher - takes cold water and heats it up. Your washing machine takes cold water and heats it up, and your oven."
The man tells viewers to remember that when trying to save electricity, but continues to share one interesting tip that relates specifically to your freezer.
In the video where he speaks to the camera, he says "defrost your freezer as much as possible" before claiming that "for every one extra millimetre of ice that's on your freezer, it takes an extra ten per cent of electricity to run it and keep it cold."
The clip, which has received more than 47,000 likes on the platform so far, has left people impressed with the cost-cutting tip, as many TikTok users flocked to the comments to share their own advice on energy saving.
One said: "Immediately sending this to my husband who has been promising to defrost the freezer for the last six months".
Another added: "Mortified that I would have thought the completely opposite. Thank you for this".
Other commenters offered up another useful piece of advice for viewers, as one wrote: "Also: make sure to have your freezer as full as possible. The less air you let in when you open it, the less it needs to cool down".
Another person echoed this guidance, saying: "Another tip is to have it as full as possible, the more thermal mass the less energy it takes to keep it cool."
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