With energy bills set to rise to add an even greater burden on families and individuals here are a few tips this month to help save money.

Keeping your shower time to just 4 minutes could save a typical household £65 a year on their energy bills.

You can save around £28 a year from your energy bill just by using your washing machine on a 30-degree cycle instead of higher temperatures. Reduce your washing machine use by one run per week for a year.

Turn your lights off when you’re not using them or when you leave a room. This will save you around £20 a year on your annual energy bills. Replacing all the lights in your home with LED bulbs could help you save even more.

You can save around £55 a year just by remembering to turn your appliances off standby mode. Check the instructions for any appliances you aren’t sure about. Some satellite and digital TV recorders may need to be left plugged in so they can keep track of any programmes you want to record.

Almost half the money spent on energy bills is absorbed by heating and hot water costs. Turning your heating down by just one degree could save up to £80 a year.

If you only need to heat one room in your home, it may be cheaper to use a portable electric heater and keep the thermostat turned down. For those who live alone or work from home, investing in an electric heater could save on heating bills over time as you’re not heating your whole home unnecessarily.  Electric heaters are best used sparingly though. Electricity is much pricier than gas per hour.

Energy schemes and grants are available to help pay your energy bills or to support you with the costs of renewable heating. The include:

Warm Home Discount – £140 mainly to pensioners and those who get certain benefits Winter Fuel Payment – £100 – £300 per winter for those born before 26 September 1955.

Renewable Heat Incentive (scheme closes in March 2022) – quarterly payments for seven years are available if you install a heat pump, biomass boiler or solar water heating.

Boiler upgrade scheme (from April 2022) – up to £5,000 to replace your current gas or oil heating with low-carbon heating.

Help with loft insulation and boiler costs from energy suppliers.