UK households who have a tumble dryer could be handed £94 each

MoneyMagpie Editor and financial expert Vicky Parry shared her tips for keeping your winter energy bills low.

UK households who have a tumble dryer could save £94 each by turning it off and using a heated airer instead. MoneyMagpie Editor and financial expert Vicky Parry shared her tips for keeping your winter energy bills low.

Vicky spoke out ahead of the brand-new energy price cap, with the Ofgem cap kicking in on Tuesday, October 1, taking bills to £1717. She said: "Turn the thermostat down for a start! Even reducing one or two degrees Celsius on your thermostat could make a big dent in your rising energy bill. Plan ahead before the cold weather strikes, too: get your boiler serviced now.

"A well-maintained boiler will run efficiently during the cold months and is far less likely to break down on you in freezing weather. Servicing your boiler regularly can extend the life of the boiler too, so you won’t have to pay for unexpected boiler repair or replacement costs.

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"Prepare for the cold now: snap up hot water bottles, extra comfy socks and slippers, and thermal layers. If you work from home and tend to work from a single room, consider investing in a portable heater or even a heated blanket so you don’t need to have your full central heating running all day – keep it for the evenings when the temperature drops further."

Tumble drying absolutely eats energy, so while it is a great way to make sure your clothes dry in winter months it will also make your energy bills rocket. Try to keep tumble drying to things like bed linens and towels, rather than for everything, she added.

Consider a heated airer instead. Compared to roughly 40p an hour for a tumble dryer, heated airers cost an average of 14p an hour (depending on size and wattage – it could be less for a smaller one).

Somebody using a tumble dryer daily would pay £2.80 a week - or £145. Swapping to a heated airer, though, could reduce your cost to 98p a week - or £51 a year. The change could see households handed £94 each.