This week is Big Energy Savings Week!

Advisers at Citizens Advice see many people who are struggling to pay their energy bills. 11% of households in England are estimated to be in fuel poverty. At Citizens Advice we try to help consumers understand their energy use and cut their bills. The key messages are CHECK, SWITCH AND SAVE

CHECK – make sure you aren’t paying too much or missing out on any benefits or schemes that could boost your income and lower costs. Call your supplier or contact us for more information.

SWITCH – you could save hundreds of pounds by switching energy tariff or supplier. Visit energycompare.citizensadvice.org.uk to compare energy prices or contact us for help.

SAVE – make your home energy efficient and potentially cut your bills by hundreds of pounds.

Top tips for saving energy include not leaving appliances on standby, always turning the light off when you leave a room, not leaving laptops and mobile phones on charge unnecessarily, closing your curtains at dusk to stop heat escaping and blocking up draughts around windows and doors. Remember that one full load in the washing machine uses less energy that two half full loads and that a dripping hot water tap can waste enough energy in a single week to half fill a bath with hot water. If you have a timer on your central heating system set the heating and hot water to come on only when you need it, for example to come on 30 minutes before you get up in the morning and 30 minutes before bedtime. And only boil enough water in the kettle for that much needed cup of tea.

For advice on this or any other problem call Citizens Advice on 0344 2451291 or call in to your local office. Alternatively visit www.citizensadvice.org.uk .