Somerset woman halves energy bill by using thrifty solutions

One of the ways Kerry Collinson cut her bill was by charging her devices using a portable solar panel

A woman has said simply being more frugal has allowed her to halve her energy bill from what it was before the increases.

Kerry Collinson, 51, from Crewkerne in Somerset has not used her central heating since February after having a log burner and solar panel installed.

She said they have not noticed a "drop in the quality of life" but rather a positive impact on their finances.

Mrs Collinson added the new log-burning stove is now the "heart" of their home.

People are increasingly turning to wood burners to keep warm as energy prices soar, yet concerns have been raised over the impact of air quality and climate purposes.

The 51-year-old said she "totally agrees" with the environmental worry but said "people are being left with no options".

She added she felt "very sorry" for people who are not able to cut back due to having young children or disabilities.

Mrs Collinson said: "It's just being more frugal but we haven't really noticed a difference in the quality of our life.

"You think, oh it's not going to make a difference if I do this small thing, but over a week, a month, a year, it really does help."

"If I'm going to have a cup of tea, if there's any hot water left over I'll do the dishes - it's just being a little bit more careful."

"We only boil the water we need in the kettle and we've stopped using the oven now. We use an ActiFry, a small oven and the microwave a lot more because they're quick."

'More careful'

The commercial cleaner added that they use the top of the wood burning stove to boil water for food and cleaning and dry their clothes in front of it.

She said: "We watched our smart meter literally spin whenever we turned the induction hob on and we thought, how can we reduce that cost, so we went into the garage and got our camping stove out.

"We worked out that one brand new cannister is about £1.20 and we thought we'll see how long it lasts us. It lasts us a whole week."

Mrs Collinson has also invested in a solar panel which she says is "brilliant" at charging homes and LED rechargeable lightbulbs that they use to light the house at night.

She has also bought a window vacuum cleaner which removes moisture off the windows to make sure the house does not get damp.

"I'm paying half now than of what I was before the increases, because of just being more aware.

"We were very, very flippant before. Had every light on, the Alexa... you name it. It was just all on all the time.

"The phone chargers were always plugged in, the microwave was always on, the oven, baking cakes left right and centre, we are a lot more cautious now but it has made a huge difference in our finances, in a positive way."

The government has confirmed a new national campaign offering advice on how UK households can reduce their energy use and save on their bills launches which launches December 17.

The Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy said: "We understand that people may be interested to learn about more ways to save on their energy costs.

"Our new energy saving campaign will help to raise awareness of steps people can take to reduce their energy use and save on their bills."

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