A British woman is saving £528 a year on her
home energy bills after implementing a range of "simple steps" designed to make her property more energy efficient.
Kara Gammell, writing in the Telegraph, says she first realised her home was leaking energy in May of last year when she was paying £69 a month on
gas and electricity bills.
Now, after her efficiency drive, she is splashing out just £25 a month - a saving of £528 a year.
She says the increasing number of people in Britain struggling to pay their home energy bills need not suffer in silence.
Ms Gammell reveals to the publication that there are a range of products and techniques available which can significantly cut the amount of fuel a home requires to operate - including
electricity-restricting devices, which she has recently installed.
Sealing her home with
insulation, wooden blinds and adhesive foam tape was an early priority, while she has also made an effort to reduce her consumption of gas and electricity.
This is particularly important during cold weather when it can be tempting to turn the heating up to its full power, when wrapping up in extra clothes and using blankets is a cheaper alternative.
It has not all been about cutting back, however, with Ms Gammell installing some state-of-the-art technology too.
For example, she now uses an electricity meter which offers a constant update on how much power she has used during a month.
Turning off appliances instead of leaving them on standby may also result in significant savings, although Ms Gammell offers some surprising advice.
She writes in the newspaper: "People normally assume that it's the big electrical items in the home such as plasma televisions and computers that burn the most electricity, but it is smaller devices that are the worst culprits."
Coronation Street actress Kym Marsh last week visited Glasgow to urge homeowners to start making cutbacks in energy consumption and save money on their bills.
