You’ve been boiling water all wrong – and it’s adding £55 to your energy bill
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IT TURNS out you could save more than £50 just by changing the way you boil water, an expert says.
Posting on TikTok as @dinosaurdannyx, he reveals how boiling water on the hob, instead of using a kettle, can help you save on your energy bills.
Brits are said to drink almost 36billion cups of tea per year, so that's a lot of power surges to heat up the nation's favourite drink.
Millions of households face paying £129 more for energy bills from now thanks to the Energy Price Guarantee.
It means a typical family will not pay more than £2,500 a year on bills - although Jeremy Hunt announced that would rise to £3,000 next April.
It means hard-up households are struggling to pay their bills, facing the difficult decision between heating or eating.
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As costs soar, you'll want to know how to lower your bills.
On TikTok, the academic shows the maths behind some of his money saving hacks.
The social media mathematician worked out how to measure the flow of gas used by his stove when he boiled two litres of water.
It took 667.2 seconds to boil the water on the hob and used 0.27kwh of energy.
He then worked out that he pays 7.37p per kwh for gas and that it cost him 1.99p to boil the water on the hob.
Over the year, this works out at £72.63.
Although kettles usually take fewer units of energy to heat water, the current sky-high cost of electricity cancels out these savings.
Using his electric kettle to boil the same volume of water cost 3.49p - more than double the cost of using the hob.
Over the year, a whopping £54.75 could be saved just by swapping how you boil water.
Making other changes to the way you're making a cuppa will save you cash too.
According to Utilita, leaving a kettle switched on at the wall adds £4.87 to an end-of-year energy bill.
Turn it off at the plug will help you keep that fiver in your pocket.
Can I get help with my energy bills?
Energy suppliers are offering cash grants to those hardest hit by bill rises.
For instance British Gas is giving out up to £1,500 through its hardship fund.
But the amount can vary according to your supplier and your circumstances.
Ask your supplier what's on offer and how to apply, or check here:
Struggling families are also eligible for the Warm House Discount to help them tackle the cost of living.
The scheme is where eligible households can get £150 off their electricity bill each winter - but you'll have to wait until the colder months to get the money off.
Households in England and Wales don't need to apply to get the cash and they'll automatically qualify if they are receiving certain benefits.
You can read more about who's eligible here.
Pensioners will also be getting a £300 one-off payment.
The current "Pensioner Cost of Living payment" is being handed out to millions on a low income.
You qualify under the current rules if you normally get the Winter Fuel Payment, but this could change under the new rules.
The £300 cost of living payment is paid on top of the other winter support.
You'll need to be:
- born on or before 25 September 1956
- have lived in the UK for at least one day during the week of 19 to 25 September 2022 in what is known as the "qualifying week"
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For a look into energy bill grants you could also get this winter, read our round-up here.
Octopus is dishing out free electric blankets as well, which you can learn about here.