The cost of living is at its highest level in a decade, with household energy bills being the largest expense. We checked out some information from the Energy Savings Trust to get some tips on how to deal with rising gas and electric bills.

On 1 April, energy bills increased for around 22 million people.

Those on default tariffs paying by direct debit are now paying an extra £693 a year, while prepayment customers have seen their bills rise by £708 to over £2,000. This has had a serious impact on many people and families, with more having to turn support from places like foodbanks to feed themselves and their families.

Even if you don’t pay your energy bills yourself at the moment, it’s a good time to practise ways to save money on your bills for when you are living in your own tenancy.

The Energy Savings Trust has some super easy hacks on how you can start doing this!

Switch off standby

You can save around £55 a year just by remembering to turn your appliances off standby mode.

Almost all electrical appliances can be turned off at the plug without upsetting their programming. You may want to think about getting a standby saver or smart plug which allows you to turn all your appliances off standby in one go.

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.

Turn off lights

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.

Be careful with your washing

You can save around £28 a year from your energy bill just by using your washing machine more carefully:

Use 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.

Spend less time in the shower

Keeping your shower time to just 4 minutes could save a typical household £70 a year on their energy bills.

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Be savvy in the kitchen

Finally, we all love a cup of tea and kettles are one of the most used appliances in the kitchen. But many of us will admit that we at least occasionally boil the kettle with more water than we’re going to use.

Avoid overfilling the kettle and save yourself £11 a year on your electricity bill.