I've had my energy bill for the month of December. £403!

[Guest]

I try so hard to be careful to keep costs down. Any advice please guys as I'm having sleepless nights over this and my mental health is suffering.

[Sam]

Wash your hands in cold water, as every time you turn the hot tap on, it will be firing the boiler up, costing you money.

Use an air fryer if you can. We’ve done both of the above and it’s saved quite a bit from previous years. Hope this helps.

[Chris]

Done lots of little things such as filling any drafts around windows with weather seal tape (£1 in Poundland) Reduced the boiler flow temperature on boiler. Closed some blinds on windows to keep heat in. Changed light bulbs to more energy saving ones. Use dehumidifier rather than tumble dryer

[Vickie]

Firstly, stop worrying and making yourself ill! That is exactly what they want. Pay what you can afford then plan to pay the rest in summer when your usage is much lower

[Lisa]

I checked my dd at bank bg have been taking 203 pounds a month out my bank since August
Was 45 pound dd before this
Furious I rang them with a meter reading as no one ever comes to read my meter
Thinking omg I should have alot of credit was just over 1200 they have took
And no I owe them still 27 quid .
Shocking

[Bev]

No more tumble driers, I've brought a dehumidifier, which dries the clothes within a day, cost around 7p an hour to run, but also dries the air in the house out, which makes it feel warmer.

[Amy]

Mine was £600 for gas and electric combined 3 bed detached house! Found using my electric fire cheaper then my heating once kids go to bed!

[Kim]

Mine was £481. Did loads of energy saving. Think it was the cold snap which pushed it up. Luckily we were in credit

[Anita]

Smart meter big mistake as i direct debit martin lewis says ring them every month with meter reading that way u pay what u use not what the idiots pluck out of the sky

[Lisa]

My electric is smart meter so I see daily what we use and its 3 pound odd a day this is why I'm getting my gas on a smart meter.

Better to see what your using than get a shock like me.

[Jill]

Your smart meter should be able to show you how much appliances cost to run. Go round the house with it and see how much it jumps up when you switch each one on. Electric showers tend to use the most power - between 9-10 KwH. Once you know, you can cut down on unnecessary usage

[Jan]

I live in a 3-bed house I am out at work from 6.30 am till 4.30 pm 5 days a week there is only me here mine is usually £60 to £70 a month for both gas and electric and in December with actual metre readings it was £285

[Helen]

Check it’s not an estimate. Going to be bigger bills for a while due to cold and dark nights. I’ve been closing curtains earlier to stop the vols striking off the windows and have lots of candles in the lounge. I find it also helps any anxiety as I find them quite calming. I have a kindle and enjoy reading so I go to bed earlier and read. The kids although they are in their 20’s are the biggest users to be fair, but they are being mindful too.

[Helen]

Mine was £458 (combined) for 3 bedroom semi. Had heating on for 4 hours daily. Won’t be able to afford it if it goes up anymore!

[Janet]

There are people who have an illness who aren't mobile leaving them feeling cold because not active. It is dangerous for their health feeling cold, so is very worrying for them knowing how much it costs to heat their homes.

[Michaela]

Mine was £143 but its only me in a 1 bed bungalow and I don't waste either energy willy nilly. Light only on in room I'm in. Nothing left "on standby" use slow cooker and air fryer most meals. Batch cook. TV only on in room I'm in, etc etc.... since the price rise, I use less gas and electric but I'm paying more than twice as much. I can't remember the last time I had heating properly on, even tho I really need it. Ive bought an oodie and an electric blanket to keep warm. My heating hasn't gone higher than 12° and it's only kicked in a couple of times when we had that minus degree weather just before Xmas. It's actually cheaper for me to drive my car for 2 hours than it is for me to put my heating on for 2 hours and that's saying something given the cost of fuel LOL!!

[Kim]

Biggest saving has been not using double oven switching off at plugs and not using gas fire which appears to eat gas using air fryer and rechargeable lights in hall ways were before 3 lights were always on 3 storey Victorian terrace have to have heating on or causes more problems 95 electric 220 gas still saying I’ll owe them 300 at end of year.