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Daily Mirror
Daily Mirror
Business
Rachel Pugh & Levi Winchester

Woman claims Martin Lewis heating hack cut her energy bill from £90 to £12 a month

A woman has explained how she slashed her energy bill from £90 to £12 thanks to advice shared by Martin Lewis.

The MoneySavingExpert founder has previously tried to explain whether you’re better off leaving your heating on all day, or only turning it on when you need it.

Energy experts are often divided over the right answer. But according to the Energy Saving Trust, the idea that it is cheaper to leave the heating on low all day is a myth.

"They're clear that having the heating on only when you need it is, in the long run, the best way to save energy, and therefore money,” explained Martin.

"A timer's best as your thermostat turns your heating on and off to keep your home at the temperature you set).

Martin Lewis has previously shared advice from the Energy Saving Trust (ITV)

"The key thing to understand here is that it's all about the total amount of energy required to heat your home.

"It's a given that a certain amount of energy is constantly leaking out of your home (how much will depend on how good your insulation is).

"The Energy Saving Trust says if you're keeping the heating on all day you're losing energy all day, so it's better to heat your home only when you need it."

One woman says she is proof this trick does indeed work, and claims she has slashed her heating bill from £90 to £12 by only turning her radiators on when she needs them.

Are you worried about affording your energy bills? Let us know: mirror.money.saving@mirror.co.uk

Her response comes after Manchester Evening News asked readers to share their energy money-saving tips.

She told MEN: "I stopped having my heating on a constant 18c temp and boosting it every now and then and just turned it off completely and only turn it on as and when needed.

"Dec and Jan bills were over £90 for Gas alone. Since turning heating off fully my bill in Feb was only around £45 so saved half the price. So far this month my bill is £12.

"As the weather gets warmer I won't be needing the heating on at all but some people say having the house a certain temp all the time (which is normally around 18c) can save you money.

"In my experience so far it made my bill double what I would have been using."

However, not all energy experts agree that only turning your heating on when you need it is the best way to lower your bills.

In fact, some specialists who've previously spoken to MoneySavingExpert have argued the exact opposite - and say you should keep the heating on all the time.

The specialists the consumer website spoke to said condensation collects within the walls whenever you switch the heating off.

This can then conduct heat outside the home, which could mean you lose heat more quickly in the long-run.

Ultimately, it depends on the type of building you live in and how good it is at keeping heat inside. The better insulated your home, the warmer you will be.

More families are looking for ways to reduce their energy bills before huge increases come into force from April for millions of homes.

The regulator Ofgem has confirmed it is increasing its price cap by £693 from £1,277 to £1,971 from April 1 - up by 54% and a huge hit to household bills.

Prepayment customers will be worse off, with a jump of £708 from £1,309 to £2,017.

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