Engineer shares tips to knock £145 off energy bills

With Britain in the grip of subzero temperatures and much of the country blanketed in snow, many households will be looking for ways to stay warm without cranking up the heating.

Domestic energy bills have soared this year, in part as a result of disruption to international gas markets caused by Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, and even after the government intervened to freeze Ofgem’s energy price cap at £2,500, which is still twice what many average users were paying in December 2021.

The problem is just one aspect of a much wider cost of living crisis driven by record double-digit inflation that has left many feeling up against it as their budgets are stretched to breaking point.

Everyone from Citizens Advice to TV money saving guru Martin Lewis has been offering advice to homeowners in recent weeks and the latest expert on hand with guidance is British Gas engineer Sunny Solanky, who told The Daily Express he believes a series of “little wins” can knock £145 off household energy bills.

“Most of the questions that I get asked is, what’s the best way to run the heating? Or what’s the best way to save a little bit? It’s quite simple,” Mr Solanky said.

“If you’ve got your heating on, put draught excluders under doors, when the heat is on. Also, drawing blinds and curtains, because you lose a lot of heat through your windows and things which a lot of people just don’t think about.

“Keeping furniture away from radiators. If you’ve got the sofa right against the radiator, it’s blocking off the heat, it’s not able to then heat the room.

“You can get a big piece of cardboard, wrap it in some foil and put it behind your radiator. That helps stop the heat getting lost through into the walls rather than into the room, which is what you want.”

In addition to those tips, Mr Solanky warned against frozen pipes as the mercury plummets, which can prevent hot water and heating from circulating around the house, and stressed the importance of insulation.

“By insulating some of your pipes, you can stop them being frozen, which could save you about £20 a year. Putting the foil and cardboard behind radiators, possibly around £25,” he said.

“There’s a lot of different things so, draught proofing, that could save £100 a year. It’s not a lot of work and it’s not expensive things that we’re talking about here either.”

Mr Solanky continued: “Every house that we go to, we’re always giving them the best advice possible and the most relevant advice to each house.

“Little wins right now are draft excluders, getting that foil behind the radiator, making sure the boiler stays working, with the cold snap picks.

“Keeping radiators clear and free and not obstructing them. Otherwise, you just end up blocking the heat. And again, close the drawing curtains just to keep the heat in the house. It’s little things that we can all do that can make a big difference.”