British Gas, OVO, Octopus, EDF, EON customers must 'sell fridge freezer' before October

British Gas, OVO, EDF, EON and Octopus households have been warned to get rid of their spare fridge freezers if they have one. The average fridge freezer costs over £76 a year in electricity to run, so consider if you need to have that second appliance plugged in.

Ian Mclaren, co-founder of dwellow, the home of energy savings made simple, explained households can slash bills by lowering thermostats by "just one degree." He said: "Reducing your home's temperature by just one degree can save you up to 10 per cent on your gas bill.

"Experiment with whether you can comfortably reduce your thermostat setting by one degree - or even more - while adding an extra layer of clothing or using a blanket to stay warm. Many thermostats give you a great deal of programmability, some can even be controlled remotely via smartphone apps. While it can be easy to just stick with the same times and temperatures it has always been set at, try switching the heating to go off an hour earlier."

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Households can save £70 a year by reducing gas consumption with the flow temperature of their boiler, ensuring it is turned down. By bleeding radiators, installing Thermostatic Radiator Valves (TRVs), which allow you to control the temperature of individual rooms, and by switching to LED lighting, households can also save.

Households should also consider installing dimmer switches and consider your cycle on the washing machine and dishwasher. He said: "Lower the temperature settings and use the Eco Cycle option, which typically runs at around 30 degrees."

Turning off unused appliances also helps, and shorter showers. An average electric shower used for 20 minutes a day costs around £5 a week to run. Households can also draught-proof homes, he went on to explain ahead of the Ofgem price cap increase.