Use the sun to reduce your heating bills. Leave internal doors open to rooms which trap the sun so the heat can spread to other areas.

Still using tungsten, halogen or fluorescent bulbs? Changing to LED lighting can save energy and money.

Solid brick walls can be insulated internally or externally to reduce heat loss.

Giving your plants’ roots a good soaking once or twice a week in dry weather is much better than lightly watering them every day because most of that water just evaporates away. However, new plants do need regular watering until they are established.

Thermostatic radiator valves (TRVs) only limit the maximum temperature areas reach. It is a common misconception that they change how quickly an area heats up. Don’t turn them up thinking the room will heat up quicker.

Every degree you turn your home thermostat down could save you around £80 to £85 a year on your heating bill.

Get into the habit of turning lights off when you leave a room. A family could save between £50 and £90 a year just by remembering to flick a switch, if they don’t already do this.

Fill a jug with tap water and leave it to cool in your fridge. You’ll save water by not having to run the tap for ages to get a cold drink.

Fitting a new insulating jacket to a bare hot water tank can save over £100 per year. Costing just a few pounds, the investment can pay itself off in a few months.

Draught excluders are a cheap way of cutting out the chill from poorly fitting doors and windows. Most are also easy to fit, a simple DIY task.