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The cost of living crisis is suddenly becoming a reality and energy bills are at the top of most people’s worry list. There may not be time – or indeed savings in the bank – to install new solar panels or heat pump systems before the soaring price of energy starts to impact on our daily lives. But there are many simple changes that can be achieved quickly that would have a real impact on bills and energy use. As a bonus, using these ideas could significantly reduce your carbon footprint.

We checked with energy-saving organisations in Cambridgeshire about the best way to save money and the planet this winter.

Install thermal curtains and blinds

Cllr Naomi Bennett (Green, Abbey) said: “Most people don’t have £10,000 to spend on a big ticket installation like retrofitting an air source heat pump to your house. It’s great if you can do something like this to make your home more energy efficient, but I would suggest starting with buying thermal insulated blinds and curtains for your home to keep the heat in. I did this in my house eight years ago and my heating bill dropped by 40 per cent. Our house was also a pleasant temperature during the heatwave because the blinds kept the sun out.”

This will show where heat is leaking from your home. Cambridge Carbon Footprint will lend these to residents for free from November to March. This can show problems with insulation, draughts, damp and more. Some of the problems shown are easy for householders to fix, like draught-proofing, and some, like faulty insulation, may need professional help.

Sign up with Cambridge Carbon Footprint for a free training session and to borrow a thermal imaging camera at bit.ly/3AQD51t.

Turn down your heating by one degree

This can cut heating bills and emissions straight away and you may not feel any difference. Cambridge Carbon Footprint suggests: “If your home has a central heating system you can use the main heating thermostat to reduce the temperature setting for the whole house. Try turning the temperature down by one degree and wait for a day or two to see how it feels. If you’re still feeling comfortable, continue to turn it down until you reach a point where it starts to feel too cold. Make a note of the setting where you still felt comfortable – this is the temperature setting for you and your household.”

Most families are happy with a setting somewhere between 18˚C and 21˚C but you may need it warmer if there are any older people or people with health conditions living in the property.

Fill in cracks around windows

Draught-proofing around windows and doors could save you around £45 a year, according to the Energy Saving Trust. If you have an open chimney, they say that draught-proofing your chimney when you’re not using it could save around £65 a year.

Cambridge Carbon Footprint says: “About 12 per cent of the heat is lost through draughts in an average British home. Controlled ventilation also helps reduce condensation and damp by letting in fresh air when needed. Most work to tackle draughts can be done yourself and for very little money. Therefore, this is a cheap way of making rooms more comfortable, easier to heat and also reduces heating bills and emissions.

“While it is important to block most of the gaps in your home that lead to outside, be careful in areas that need good ventilation. These include areas where there are open fires or open flues and any rooms where a lot of moisture is produced, such as the kitchen, bathrooms and utility rooms.”

Stuff one leg of an old pair of tights with rags or old clothes to make draught-excluders for your front door and letter box. And buy a metal keyhole cover.

Cook with a microwave or slow cooker

According to Uswitch.com, using a slow cooker is a brilliant way to reduce energy bills. “Slow cookers are among the kitchen’s most energy-efficient appliances,” says Uswitch.

“Although they take longer to cook food, they’re rated at as little as 200 watts – less than a tenth of some electric ovens. An average-sized slow cooker uses just 1.3 kWh per meal cooked.”

Microwaves are also energy-efficient. Although they cost a similar amount to traditional ovens to run for an hour, generally microwaves are only used for a few minutes and require no warming up time.

Get to know unit costs

While we tend to talk about annual costs of energy, it can be helpful to understand unit prices of energy and how many units our appliances consume. Typically, unit prices have risen from something like 12p to 30p per kWh.

So taking the example of cooking above, if electric ovens have a power rating of 2-2.2 kWh, we know that for every hour they are on a medium to high heat, they'll use 2-2.2kW - which under current prices will cost 60p to 66p. By contrast, a slow cooker can use between 75 and 210 watts an hour depending on how high they are set. Over eight hours, if they typically use about 1.3kW, that will cost about 39p. A microwave uses between 0.6-1.5kWh.

It's worth checking energy ratings when deciding between new appliances.

You can save around £55 a year just by remembering to turn your appliances off standby mode.

Almost all electrical appliances can be turned off at the plug without upsetting their programming. You may want to think about getting a standby saver or smart plug which allows you to turn all your appliances off standby in one go.

Some satellite and digital TV recorders may need to be left plugged in so they can keep track of any programmes you want to record.

A simple way to stop heat loss is to insulate your loft and don’t forget the loft hatch. Cambridge Carbon Footprint suggests making a loft hatch insulation pillow using leftover insulation

and a bin liner. Tape or staple the pillow to the hatch. Any gaps in your insulation coverage will significantly reduce the effectiveness of the whole covering, as hot air will just head for the gap.

7 tips to cut electricity and gas use overnight*

Dry laundry outside – even in winter

Give your clothes a day in the sun, and give your tumble drier a break. Clothes dried in the fresh air feel great, and there are drying days in winter, too. Consider a drying rack inside your house for rainy days.

When you’re cooking, keep the oven door shut as much as possible; every time you open it, nearly a quarter of the heat escapes

Don’t leave your phone on charge all night

It only needs three hours – and try not to leave the TV and other kit on stand-by.

Cup of tea or coffee?

Only fill the kettle with as much water as you’ll actually use (but make sure you cover the metal element at the base). Or fill a flask with the leftover hot water and use it later.

If you do this at dusk it will keep the heat in.

Be a friend to your freezer

Defrost it regularly to help it run more efficiently.

Sleep tight without a light

Make sure all the lights are turned off when you go to bed, or use a low-wattage night light if you do need to leave one on.

*from the Centre for Sustainable Energy