Mum is dreading winter energy bills but there is help for households

Jackie Murphy is one of a number of Bristol residents who told Express.co.uk they are struggling to make ends meet amid rising food prices and soaring energy bills. However, there is help available for households struggling to meet the increasing cost of living.

She continued: “So I will go to two or three supermarkets rather than just go in and do one big shop.”

Another Bristol resident, 59-year-old Amanda Dean said she can now only get two bags of shopping for £95 – whereas before that would pay for a trolley full.

“At the moment it’s atrocious, to be honest.

“You go and do a weekly shop and it’s just gone sky-high.”

Comparethemarket has shared some simple tips to help people save money on energy bills:

• “Optimise your oven use – Running costs for electric ovens have increased by £12 a year on average. Batch cooking when using your oven can help to get the best value out of using your oven or consider microwaves, which are cheaper and more energy efficient at warming food or reheating leftovers.
• “Not wasting power on standby – It’s widely reported that the average household could be wasting as many as 7,374 hours of electricity every year when a device is left on standby.
• “Taking control of heating – Heating over the winter uses a huge amount of power. So think carefully about how warm your home really needs to be.
• “Bleeding your radiator – If you’ve got gas central heating with radiators, you’ll need to bleed them every so often to keep them running efficiently, as air in the system can stop hot water circulating effectively.
• “Switching to low energy lighting – LED lightbulbs are the most energy efficient, swapping your bulbs for LEDs could help to save you money.
• “Opting for showers instead of baths – Swapping taking a bath for having a shower could save families on both their energy and water bills each year.
• “Washing as much as possible at 30 degrees – Today’s washing detergents are very effective at 30 degrees, so try to avoid washing laundry on a higher setting.
• “Not using your tumble dryer as much – Annual running costs of tumble dryers have risen by £21 on average. They use up a lot of energy, so try to avoid them as much as you can by air drying your washing.
• “Using a smart meter – Smart appliances, lights and plugs can also be programmed to switch off at particular times or when you leave the house or even a room, saving you money.”