Smart meters help you track your energy use in pounds and pence. They can help educate you and your family to reduce your energy bills.

Wash fruit and vegetables in a bowl, not under a running tap, to cut water use. Use the leftover water for your houseplants or patio pots.

Make sure your radiators are clear so they can heat the space efficiently. Curtains or furniture can easily block them.

When cooking you can often use the residual heat to to save energy if you switch your cooker off just before you finish cooking. However, you still need to make sure that your food is properly cooked through.

Spending one minute less in the shower each day will save up to £8 a year off your energy bills, per person. With a water meter this could save a further £11 off annual water and sewerage bills. If everyone in a four-person household did this it would lead to a total saving of £75 a year.

Are your heating costs literally going through the roof? Check to ensure you have 250-270 mm of loose roll loft insulation and top up if necessary.

Hanging out clothes to dry will save you energy and money over using a tumble drier.

Check the programmer on your heating and hot water to make sure the timings match your needs. If you don’t have a seven-day programmer fitted consider getting one.

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

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.