Experts reveal 5 mistakes that increase heating bills.

According to The Sun: With winter approaching, most households are actively preparing for the cold.

By following a few simple tips, you can significantly reduce your electricity bills.

Energy efficiency experts note that there are many common mistakes that can increase your costs (illustration).

From using dryers to more frequent tea preparation and increasing heating — there are several ways to adapt to winter cold.

In the current context of rising energy prices, now is the perfect time to learn how to reduce your costs.

According to the Energy Agency report, there are numerous ways to save energy.

Common mistakes

Insulating the hot water tank and pipes helps retain heat, which lowers heating costs.

While modern tanks usually have factory insulation, older ones may only have 25 mm of foam insulation.

Investing £16 in an 80-mm insulation jacket can save you £70 a year on bills.

If you wait a long time for the water to heat up, it may indicate a need to improve insulation of the pipes.

Insulating all exposed hot water pipes in a typical semi-detached house will cost about £15 and save £9 annually.

As about a third of heat in unheated homes is lost through walls, this tip is one of the most important for reducing energy costs.

In a typical semi-detached house, the cost of installing insulation is around £1,000, however, it will allow saving approximately £395 annually.

4 ways to reduce energy bills

Laura Court-Jones, editor of small businesses at Bionic shared her tips.

• 1. Lower the heating temperature by one degreeYou probably won’t even feel this minor change, but it can significantly reduce your costs. By lowering the thermostat, you can save up to £171.70.
• 2. Turn off appliances and lightsThis may seem simple, but turning off appliances and lights that are not in use, especially in winter, can reduce bills by £20 a year.
• 3. Install a smart meterSmart meters allow you to monitor energy consumption, providing insight into when and how gas and electricity are used.
• 4. Consider changing your energy supplierEven if you are satisfied with your supplier, you may not be getting the best rates. If you haven’t checked alternative rates, you may have missed out on better deals.

Moreover, the cost of insulation in a terraced house will be £580, saving approximately £235 annually, which means you can recover the costs in about two and a half years.

Measures to reduce costs

By following these tips, every household can save up to £369 a year.

First and foremost, it is important to turn off devices on standby.

This can save around £65 a year, and most household appliances can be turned off without harming their operation.

Power management systems or smart plugs allow turning off all appliances at once.

Turning off lights can also save up to £25 a year.

Replace all bulbs with LEDs — this will also significantly reduce costs during long winter evenings.

Pay attention to the settings of your washing machine.

Choosing a 30-degree program instead of high temperatures and reducing the washing frequency by one time per week can save around £34 a year.

Giving up the dryer and choosing to air-dry clothes can also save you up to £70 a year.

Reducing shower time can help save up to £95 a year.

If you love long baths, replacing one bath a week with a four-minute shower can save you £20.

In the kitchen, be careful with the kettle, which consumes a lot of electricity.

Don’t overfill the kettle to save about £13 a year.

Additionally, you can save another £30 by installing an aerator on the kitchen tap.

Turning off the dishwasher when it is not full will help reduce water consumption.

Running the dishwasher once a week can save £17 a year.

Additional information on energy bills

One homeowner saved £1,000 by taking simple measures.

British households can now apply for financial aid of up to £300.

There are also offers and discounts that can reach thousands of pounds for those receiving PIP.

One of the major energy suppliers this month is offering five days of free electricity.