Desperate to slash those heating, gas and electricity bills? Here are some eleven penny pinching ways to go about it.

Turn off the heating and wrap up warm

Okay so this first one is not really that ridiculous: Just turn off the heating completely, wrap up in a duvet or onesie and get cosy.

Put foil behind your radiators

Sticking a sheet of foil behind your radiators and help keep them more efficient by making sure more heat is actually used to warm the room and not the walls. Also be sure to keep radiators clear in general of curtains, clothes, etc. when in use.

Keep leftover boiled water in a flask

Leftover hot water after boiling the kettle? Keep it in a flask to avoid wasting energy heating it up again later. Alternatively, only boil exactly as much water as you need.

Print in a thinner font

And/or a smaller on, it’ll use less expensive printer ink. It may not make much difference on one page but across a 10,000 dissertation…

Do more at night

If you’re on an energy tariff that sees you pay less for gas and electricity at night then make use of it by doing more in the early hours.

Exercise

If you’re chilly then rather than just switching on the heating do some exercise to get yourself warm AND fit.

Leave the oven door open in the kitchen after cooking

‘Recycle’ leftover heat from your oven by leaving the door open once you’ve finished cooking to heat the kitchen.

Stick cling-film to the windows

If you’re living somewhere without double glazing, sticking cling film to your windows is a trivial and inexpensive way to keep more heat in. You can alternatively buy some professional transparent kits that will look a look better.

Turn the oven off 5 minutes before the end of cooking

Turn off the oven 5 minutes before the end of cooking time to save pennies, the oven will stay hot enough to finish off the dish.

Don’t bother to pre-heat the oven

Unless you’re preparing anything special, such as cakes or desserts, then pre-heating the oven generally isn’t required. Most modern ovens, especially smaller ones, will heat up more than quickly enough. It will be slightly quicker to cook food in a pre-heated oven, but it’s still more energy efficient to avoid doing it.

Don’t peek when cooking!

Opening the oven, especially repeatedly, during cooking is letting good energy go to waste. Keep the door shut and use the window that’s there to have a look.