Ofgem is set to increase the energy price cap once more between January and March 2026
Many Brits will face even higher energy bills in 2026, following Ofgem’s announcement of a 0.2% price cap increase from January to March. The rise means the average dual-fuel household could see annual costs hit £1,758 if they pay by Direct Debit.
In light of this, you may be eager to find practical ways to alleviate the financial burden. Octopus Energy, along with other major providers, offers bill-saving tips on its website, including a simple four-minute rule.
This Octopus Energy tip comes down to precisely how long you spend in the shower. While studies indicate that many of us spend as much as 10 minutes washing each time, reducing this to just four could substantially decrease energy consumption.
Online guidance from Octopus Energy explains: “Keeping your shower time to just 4 minutes could save a typical household £60 a year!” On a separate note, it also adds: “Our tips come from the expertise of our wide-ranging team of scientists, engineers and heat specialists. We’ve got real feedback on how useful they are from more than 250,000 customers.”
Octopus Energy is not alone in advocating the four-minute rule. Britain’s Energy Saving Trust also notes that reducing shower time can save money and potentially conserve around 17,000 litres of water annually.
The trust’s estimates are slightly different from Octopus Energy’s, indicating that most people could save about £45 each year by keeping showers to four minutes. For households in Northern Ireland, this saving might rise to £65.
According to a previous Mirror report, The Energy Saving Trust explains: “Shortening the time that you spend in the shower will reduce the volume of water that goes down the drain, as well as saving you money on the energy used to heat the water.”
Apart from this, both Octopus Energy and the Energy Saving Trust provide numerous other energy-saving tips online. Another important tip is draught-proofing, which involves sealing gaps around doors, windows, and chimneys to prevent heat from escaping.
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Neglecting these areas could be the reason you constantly turn up the thermostat. Octopus Energy’s online guidance adds: “A continuous draught can quickly undo all the good work of your heating – essentially wasting energy.
“Identifying and plugging up draughts around doors, windows and other gaps can help trap warmth in and make your gas spend go further…Professional draught-proofing can cost a few hundred pounds. You can also find draughts yourself using the back of your hand, or with a thermal camera and make your own excluders for free using old fabric scraps. Average saving: £80 per year.”
Thermal cameras are particularly useful for spotting heat loss in properties because they measure surface temperatures. Homeowners can identify the warmest areas in red and the coldest in blue.
Sealing common heat loss areas such as windows, doors, and skirting boards can improve your property’s insulation, helping it stay warmer for longer and reducing the frequency of thermostat adjustments.
Those keen on using a thermal camera can often borrow them free of charge from local councils, while The London Library of Things also hires them out for just £15 per day, according to Which?. Numerous Octopus Energy customers can get hold of these cameras, too, though the firm’s programme is temporarily on hold until the new year.
Additional guidance from Octopus Energy states: “We genuinely want to help our customers be more energy efficient. It’s simply the right thing to do, not only because it keeps your bills low, but because it’s better for the environment as well.
“We’ve sent our cameras out to nearly 5,000 customers over the last few years, and we’re absolutely honoured that so many customers have told us that the camera loan has helped them practically identify how to save heat in their home.”
Households with flexible budgets can opt for a professional thermal survey, which often costs roughly £300 for smaller homes and approximately £750 for larger properties. Which? recommends using its Home Energy Planning Service to identify the best options tailored to each household’s needs.
You can find further energy-saving advice at Octopus Energy’s website here and at The Energy Saving Trust here. Today, Tim Jarvis, Director General, Markets, at Ofgem, also released a statement regarding Ofgem’s upcoming price cap rise. He said: “While energy prices have fallen in real terms over the past two years, we know people may not be feeling it in their pockets.
“The price cap helps protect households from overpaying for energy. But it’s only a safety net and there are practical ways that customers can pay less for their energy. Look at different tariffs and choose what’s right for you or change the way you pay to Direct Debit or smart pay-as-you-go. Prepayment remains the cheapest way to pay, and these customers are already saving around £47 on average.
“While wholesale energy costs are stabilising, they still make up the largest portion of our bills which leaves us open to volatile prices. That’s why we’re working with government and industry to boost clean energy and reduce our reliance on international sources we can’t control.”