Last month, industry regulator Ofgem confirmed that energy debts are at record levels, with customers owing £3.7billion.
Alongside high energy bills, many households are facing huge debt repayments in the winter months.
To add further salt to the wound, the Winter Fuel Payment is set to be cut for non-eligible pensioners and yesterday the price cap rose by 10 per cent leaving six million UK households in fuel poverty.
This means a typical household will now face annual energy bills of £1,717, up from £1,568.
It’s tough right now. According to the new survey by fuel charity National Energy Action and YouGov, almost half of adults in Great Britain (46 per cent) are likely to ration their energy use this winter.
A quarter (27 per cent) of adults in GB have found it difficult to pay for energy use in the last year. This rises to almost half (45 per cent) on low incomes.
As hard as things are, the good news is that there are steps you can take to deal with the challenges which lie ahead.
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Step One
One, calculate, monitor and reduce your energy usage. You can’t make real changes to your energy usage to save money unless you know how much your electrical appliances cost to run.
This handy guide from Centre of Sustainable Energy shows what it costs to run a wide range of household appliances. Consider the most cost-effective options for cooking and doing laundry.
The Citizens Advice website also has an online calculator for working out energy usage costs for a range of household appliances.
Energy Monitoring Apps such as Energy Cost Calculator enable you to get an overview of your daily, weekly and monthly usage. The calculator is available for both Android and iOS systems.
Step Two
Two, use smart energy-efficient appliances. Using smart appliances in your home could save you up to 15 per cent on your bills.
Examples include smart meters, thermostats and plugs. We use Shelly home automation solutions to monitor energy usage and automatically and remotely switch devices on and off. There are also other ways you can monitor energy to reduce bills.
Switching off vampire devices which drain power when on standby or when not in use could save you up to £55 per year.
Don’t leave chargers plugged to your devices when they are not in use. Look into purchasing energy-efficient appliances if you are getting any replacements.
Step Three
Third, change your daily routine. By making just a few changes to your daily routine you can save money on energy bills.
These include running your washing machine at 30 degrees, avoiding using the tumble dryer and reducing shower times to four minutes.
Households can also cut out one bath time a week, fill the kettle with just the amount of water you need, switch off lights when leaving rooms and use the dishwasher less.
Consumer expert Jane Hawkes is an advocate for consumer issues and a money saving expert.
