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Octopus Energy has revealed that customers can get £60 on average back on their energy bills by making a simple four minute change. The major energy supplier, which serves around 7.8 million UK households, says making a little change to your shower habits can result in large savings , reports Express.co.uk. While you might not think expect that spent in the shower can rack up your energy bills , the costs can quickly add up, particularly if you’re partial to a long soak. READ MORE: Key money advice as Nationwide £150 payment alert issued to anyone with a savings account Get breaking news on BirminghamLive WhatsApp , click the link to join However, according to the firm, reducing your shower time down to four minutes per day can save a typical household in England, Scotland and Wales £60 per year on their energy bills. In its energy saving advice for households, Octopus Energy stated: “Reduce your shower time. "You could save: £60 ," said Octopus, adding: "Keeping your shower time to just 4 minutes could save a typical household £60 a year!” Not only does a shorter shower lower your energy bills, it can also help to save around 17,000 litres of water annually, according to the Energy Saving Trust, so you can make a positive impact on the environment simply by having a quick wash. And if you like having a relaxing soak in the tub, it’s also worth giving up your bubble bath at least once a week for a shower instead as it’s a really easy way to save you money. The Energy Saving Trust says opting for a four minute shower once a week instead of a bath can give the typical UK household £10 per year back and save 4,000 litres of water annually. Of course giving up long showers isn’t for you, then you could opt to install a water-saving shower head instead to help cut costs. You can do this by visiting the Save Water Save Money website and entering your postcode to check which free items, like the shower heads, your water company is offering, but the availability depends on where you live and stock levels. If you are eligible, you can order the shower head directly through the website and have it delivered to your home. In addition, turning the shower off while using shampoo, soap or shower gel and then switching it back on to rinse is a free and easy way to save on both energy and water. You’ll also heat less water by doing this which helps towards cutting costs, as well as your water usage. And for those brave enough, you could also opt to take a cold shower as this will reduce your energy usage and time spent in the shower - it’s also said to have physical and mental health benefits too. Now is the perfect time to start putting cost-saving measures in place after energy bills increased for more than seven million households on standard energy tariffs in October when Ofgem’s new price cap took effect. The energy regulator increased its price cap by 2% taking the average bill for households in England, Scotland and Wales paying by direct debit for gas and electricity up from £1,720 per year to £1,755. The price cap sets the maximum rate per unit and standing charge that customers can be charged by suppliers for their energy use but not the total bill, so those who use more energy ultimately pay more. While the price cap won’t affect households on fixed tariffs, it still pays to cut costs where you can and shortening your shower time is one of the easiest ways you can do this.
