6 ways to cut your energy costs, even as bills rise

With energy prices continuing to rise in 2025, many of us are looking for ways to keep our bills down. The recent 6.4% increase in the energy price cap means most households are paying more than ever to heat and power their homes.

The good news is that there are plenty of ways to reduce your energy bills. Some changes are simple, like turning off lights when you leave a room or putting on an extra jumper instead of turning up the heating. But there are some less obvious tricks too.

In this article, we'll show you six helpful ways to save money on your energy bills.

1. Check if you can get the Warm Home Discount

If you're finding it hard to pay your energy bills, you might be able to get the Warm Home Discount Scheme (WHDS). This gives you £150 off your energy bills each winter – an increase from the £140 it used to be.

You can get this money if you receive Pension Credit or if you're on a low income and meet your energy supplier's rules. Your energy company needs to be part of the scheme too. This money goes straight to your energy account or prepayment card, making it easier to keep your home warm in winter.

There are plenty of other types of help if you're struggling with your energy bills.

2. Save energy in your kitchen

Your kitchen uses a lot of energy, but small changes to how you cook can save you money:

⚡Use lids on pots and pans to cook food faster using less energy

⚡ Only fill the kettle with the amount of water you need

⚡ Use the microwave for small portions instead of the oven

⚡ Batch cook meals and freeze portions to reheat later

⚡ Defrost frozen food in the fridge overnight instead of using the microwave

These simple kitchen habits could save you around £60 a year on your energy bills. Plus, batch cooking saves you time too!

3. Stop draughts in your home

Over time, cold air can sneak into your home and warm air can also escape through tiny gaps around doors, windows, and floors. This makes your heating work harder and costs you more money. Here are some easy ways to stop draughts:

• Stick foam strips around your windows
• Put covers over your keyholes
• Fill in cracks in your skirting boards
• Add insulation around your loft hatch
• Put draught excluders at the bottom of your doors

These fixes might cost around £220 to start with. But they can save you about £40 a year on your bills, so after a few years, you'll be saving money.

4. Be smarter with your washing

Washing machines use a lot of water and energy. You don't need to wear dirty clothes, but there are ways to wash smarter:

• Only run your washing machine when it's full
• Wash your clothes at 30 degrees instead of higher temperatures
• Hang clothes to dry instead of using a tumble dryer

Just by hanging your clothes to dry instead of using a tumble dryer, you could save around £60 a year. Plus, your clothes will last longer too!

5. Turn off devices completely

Many of us think we've turned off our TV, game console or computer when we've actually just put it to sleep. When devices are on standby, they still use a small amount of energy all the time.

By turning off your devices completely at the wall socket, you can save up to £55 a year on your energy bills. That's a lot of money for just pressing a button!

Another tip is to unplug chargers when you're not using them. Even when they're not charging anything, they can still use a small amount of energy.

6. Switch to LED lightbulbs

If you still have old-style lightbulbs in your home, switching to LED bulbs is one of the easiest ways to save money. LED bulbs use much less energy but give the same amount of light.

Changing all the bulbs in your home to LEDs could save you around £40 a year on your electricity bill. LEDs also last much longer than old bulbs - often 15 years or more - so you'll save money on replacement bulbs too.

Don't forget to turn off lights when you leave the room. This simple habit can save you even more money over time.

Small changes add up

By making these six simple changes, you could save hundreds of pounds a year on your energy bills. Even doing just one or two of these tips will help you save some money.

These tips help you save energy no matter what type of tariff you're on. But if you're thinking about changing your energy deal, our guide on whether or not to fix your energy prices can help you decide what's best for you.