Energy bills are set to soar across the country as the new energy price cap is set to be introduced on Friday April 1.

The energy price cap, set by regulator Ofgem, was introduced in 2019 and sets a limit on the maximum amount that suppliers can charge on each unit of gas and electricity that people use.

With the cap set to increase by 54% percent in April, UK households could see their energy bills rise by an average £693 a year, adding further to worries about the rising cost of living including heating and electricity.

However, one expert has shared a helpful hack that might solve your heating problem, with other tips to cut down on rising energy costs.

How to use your oven to heat your home

Lauren Tomkins, resident service manager at Grainger’s Gatehouse Apartments, has shared an easy way to use your oven to heat your home “naturally” for less money, and thus cut your energy costs.

The expert shared: “If your home has an open plan kitchen and living space, believe it or not, the oven is a fantastic source of heat.”

She explained that when we’re cooking, it would be best to turn off the heating and allow our oven to naturally heat our living space.

By the time you’re done cooking, you’re likely to be left with a cosy and warm home, which also doesn’t further impact your energy consumption.

What are other easy hacks to reduce energy costs?

Lauren also shared several other hacks to help us cut down on our energy consumption.

One tip she suggested was that we ditch our tumble dryer and take advantage of the weather getting warmer to air-dry clothes naturally instead.

She also recommended that homeowners who have heated towel rails in their home can make use of that to dry their clothes as well.

Similarly, she advised that we should be strategic in our use of the dishwasher. She said: “My top tip boils down to your dishwasher packing technique, treat it almost like a game of Tetris.”

This means we should try to fill our dishwashers up as much as possible, to make sure we use the machine only every couple of days, thus ensuring it won’t impact our energy usage too much.

Finally, she advised that we make a switch to energy-saving light bulbs or solar-powered lamps, which can keep our homes bright but without costing us too much on electricity bills.