1. Turn your thermostat down. Reducing your room temperature by 1°C could cut your heating bills by up to 10 per cent, meaning you could save about £40 per year.
2. Is your water too hot? Your cylinder thermostat shouldn't need to be set higher than 60°C/140°F.
3. Close your curtains at dusk to stop heat escaping through the windows.
4. Always turn off the lights when you leave a room.
5. Don't leave appliances on standby and remember not to leave appliances on charge unnecessarily.
6. If you're not filling up the washing machine, tumble dryer or dishwasher, use the half-load or economy programme.
7. Only boil as much water as you need (but remember to cover the elements if you're using an electric kettle).
8. A dripping hot water tap wastes energy and in one week wastes enough hot water to fill half a bath, so fix leaking taps and make sure they're fully turned off.
9. Use energy saving light bulbs. Just one can save you £60 over the lifetime of the bulb – as they last up to 10 times longer than ordinary lightbulbs.
10. Do a home energy check. Just answer some simple questions and the Energy Saving Trust will give you a free, impartial report telling you how you can save up to £250 a year on your household energy bills.
If you've got any advice on how people can save energy then leave a comment belowGo to www.eveningleader.co.uk/creditcrunch for more articles on surviving the credit crunch
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