Four things I'll do this winter as an energy expert

The energy price cap is rising on 1 October, adding 10% on average to bills if you're on a price-capped tariff. Before you resign yourself to mounting energy bills, try these tips to get winter-ready.

Each year we investigate a whole range of energy issues and come up with advice and new tools and services to help solve them.

Some are things you can do to feel an immediate benefit. But with energy prices so much higher than they were a few years ago, it's worth thinking longer-term too.

We've asked the team who work on energy at Which? for their top winter tips. Here are the things we're doing this winter that we'd recommend to help cut your bills and make your home cosier.

For other quick money-saving tips, check our 10 ways to save on energy bills.

1. Assess my home's energy efficiency

Emily Seymour, Energy & Sustainability Editor

Insulation is crucial for an energy efficient home, and most of us don't have enough. That means the heat we pay for is leaving our homes more quickly than it should. 

Adding or topping-up loft insulation is the fastest way to make big savings on your energy bills, while making your home feel more cosy.

If you have none and add the recommended 270mm, you could save up to £200 per year in a semi-detached house.

But loft insulation is the tip of the iceberg. There's a host of home improvements that will help cut your energy bills and reduce your carbon footprint. Some are pricey but if you pick the right ones for your home you'll reap the rewards in the long term.

Assessing your home for its current energy efficiency and making plans for how you might best be able to update it, and how you should prioritise based on your circumstances, is a really worthwhile way to get a handle on your home's energy use this winter.

It's difficult to know where to start, which is where our new home energy planning service comes in. It's free to use - just fill in details about your home to explore the improvements you could make, what they'd cost, if you could get financial support, how much you could save and get expert advice on what to consider along the way. 

Once you've decided, we'll help link you up with a trader to complete the work.

Make your property more energy efficient

Find out about our free home energy planning service

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2. Compare my gas and electricity prices

Sarah Ingrams, Principal Energy Researcher

If you're on your energy company's standard variable tariff, your prices change every three months when the energy price cap does.

You'll make savings when it drops (as it did back in July) but also feel the pinch when it rises again.

You might be ready to fix into a contract with an energy company instead, which means you'll no longer pay the price capped rates. Instead, you'll have fixed rates for the duration of your tariff - we suggest not fixing for longer than a 12-month period. We've started to see tariffs on sale that could save you money compared with the price cap, so it's a good time to take a look at the market.

As well as traditional fixed-term deals which guarantee rates for a set period (often a year), some companies offer deals that track the price capped rates but add a certain discount. These guarantee that you'll always be paying less than the price cap.

Look out for a tariff that costs less than the current price cap, isn't fixed for longer than a year and without hefty exit fees so you can leave it if a cheaper deal comes along.

Find out how to get the best energy deal, then use our independent free energy comparison service to see prices for your home.

3. Use my appliances more efficiently

Dr Steph Kipling, Science Team Manager

As well as assessing products for how good they are at their jobs, our lab tests also measure how much energy appliances use. Based on this, we can calculate how much they’ll cost to run using the most popular programmes and settings over the year.

For our calculations, we presume you’re paying the average rate for electricity as set by Ofgem. To determine how much they cost over a year, we use an example scenario of how often each appliance is used by the average household. So, if you use your appliances particularly often or irregularly, you’ll need to scale our numbers up or down.

Three popular appliances cost more than £100 per year to run on average, according to our testing. The culprits are:

• Washer dryers - £209 per year 
• Condenser tumble dryers - £127 per year 
• American-style fridge freezers - £110 per year

Changing how you use them - and other appliances - can make a tangible difference to your energy bills. 

Try these top tips to save on your appliance costs this winter, without compromising on performance:

• Wash clothes at lower temperatures - 30C (rather than 40C) costs 38% less, according to our tests.
• Use eco settings where available - many white goods have eco settings that take a little longer to run but will save on your costs.
• Tumble dry items made of the same fabric together - this means they'll dry at the same speed and you won't have to keep repeating cycles.
• Defrost frozen food in the fridge to help the fridge chill more efficiently.
• Maintain your appliances correctly - cleaning filters on laundry appliances, descaling your kettle, defrosting your freezer and lightly vacuuming the coils and filters on your fridge can all help cut running costs.

Read more tips on using your appliances efficiently, or find out how much your appliances cost to run.

4. Draught proof cracks and gaps in my home

Adam Snook, Senior Home Improvements Researcher

DIY draught-proofing is quick and affordable. Often it can pay for itself within a few years while making your home feel more cosy at a lower temperature.

This winter, start by looking for small gaps letting the cold air in as that's where heat can escape your home. 

Feeling a draught might help lead you to the prime culprits in your home. But I'd suggest you start by checking these:

• Windows
• Doors, including keyholes and letterboxes 
• Chimneys and fireplaces 
• Loft hatches

You can use foam draught-proofing strips around door edges, your loft hatch and window frames. For sash windows, look for window foam seal, foam sealant or brush strips. At the bottom of doors try brush or hinged-flap draught excluders.

If you don't use your fireplace, you could block the chimney with an inflatable pillow or fit a cap over the chimney pot to keep heat in.

It's important to get the balance right between stopping draughts and ending up with a damp and mouldy home because moisture can't escape. Don't block up holes that should be there, such as trickle vents in window frames.

Here's how to draughtproof your home.

Get clear on your energy use

Our home energy planning service gives you the know-how to make the right decisions for improving the energy efficiency of your home according to your means, and for approaching installers with confidence.

To start, you'll be asked to register with your name and email – if you're a Which? member it’s best to register with the same email address you use for Which? – then enter your postcode and select your address. 

The service then shows you data about your home, helps you decide on the improvements you can to make and gives you ballpark costs and an idea of what you could save on your energy bills. It also checks for available grants, provides information on ways to pay and can help you find trusted installers to do the work.

Find out more and try it out: use our home energy planning service