Trying to keep your home cosy and your energy bills down can be stressful, particularly with costs likely to remain high this winter. But help is at hand.

If you prepare now, you can avoid any nasty shocks when the current energy price cap ends at the end of this month.

Right now, a typical household in England pays about £1,862 a year for gas and electricity. This is down to the energy price cap, a limit on energy companies that is set by the national regulator Ofgem. It doesn’t cap your total bill, but it caps how much companies can charge for each unit of energy.

A new, national price cap in October will impact how much you pay for your energy this winter. Your bills might go up if the cap goes up.

What can I do?

You can check a price comparison website to see if you are on the best rate for your gas and electricity – and switch providers or tariff if you need to. But you can also do a number of simple things to save energy and keep costs down when doing everyday tasks. It all adds up:

• washing machines: only run full loads and wash at 30°C where possible
• dishwashers: only run when full. And do not waste water and energy pre-rinsing dishes
• kettles: only boil the water you need and avoid overfilling the kettle
• check fridge and freezer temperatures: Keep fridges at 5°C and freezers at-18°C. Colder settings waste energy without improving food storage
• consider an air fryer for smaller meals: Air fryers typically cook food faster and can be cheaper to run than electric ovens, particularly for smaller portions

I’m struggling. Is help available?

A good place to start, if you are struggling to pay your bills, is to contact Healthy Homes Ealing. It is service from Ealing Council that can offer help and advice to help you save energy and cut fuel bills.

Its free advice line is available Monday–Friday, 9am-5pm, and you may be able to organise an in-home consultation with a ‘green doctor’ free of charge.

The green doctors can check if you are eligible for government support, including the warm homes discount, or support for upgrading your boiler.

You can contact Healthy Homes Ealing by calling 0800 083 2265 or submit an online form on the council website.

Councillor Dominic Moffitt, the council’s cabinet member for climate action, added: “Fuel poverty is very serious and the cost of living crisis over recent years has left some residents struggling to heat their homes when the weather gets colder. Healthy Homes Ealing exists to support residents to both stay warm and save money.”