Ofgem, the energy regulator, has announced it is raising the energy price cap by 54 per cent. The increase will come into effect from April 1.
The cap is going from £1,277 to £1,971 per year - meaning millions of people will see their bills soar.
The rise is happening because the wholesale price for gas - the amount our suppliers like British Gas have to pay the producers who extract the gas, such as Shell - is so high right now. With suppliers restricted on how much they can charge us, the consumer, many of them have gone out of business.
READ MORE: Rishi Sunak to announce support for households as prices soar
While this will likely come as welcome news for energy suppliers, it is less than thrilling for consumers, who are already facing a cost of living crisis this year.
But fear not: there are some steps you can take to insulate - geddit? - yourself against the rise and keep your bills as low as possible. Angela Terry, an environmental scientist and founder of the climate action website One Home, says while the price rises are out of our hands, the amount of energy we use is in our control, so the best thing we can do is make our homes as efficient as possible.
Below is a list of top tips for keeping your home warm. Plus, many of the big banks are offering zero-interest loans to help people with these improvements. And if you're on a low income, Terry says there are "various grants and payments that are available to help people with energy efficiency measures and paying your bills".
Remember, if you're in rented accommodation, your landlord may help you with these measures. If you're renting and your EPC rating is F or G, your landlord is legally required to improve it.
Tips for keeping your home warm
1. Insulate your loft
Terry says we should all insulate our lofts to a depth of 30cm, which, she says, "can save around £300 a year on energy bills". You can also get wall insulation, floor insulation (or underlay with thermal properties), and thermal curtains and blinds for an extra boost.
2. Control your heating
There's no point in heating a room you never use, so turn the radiators down in these rooms and just heat the rooms you actually occupy. Terry recommends setting your thermostat in the rooms you do use at 19C.
If your boiler is more than 10 years old, consider getting a new one, which will almost certainly be more efficient.
3. Draft-proof your home
Terry says this is "simple and quick". It simply involves plugging gaps around windows and doors with foam or copper strips to keep the heat in.
4. Get double glazing fitted - or improvise
Double glazing is a great way of keeping the heat inside your home. If you can't afford to get new windows, however, you can fit your own secondary glazing by using cling film, double-sided tape, a pair of scissors, and a hairdryer. Attach the cling film to your window using the tape, cut to size, then use the hairdryer to get the creases out.
It's not perfect, but it'll definitely help, and more than you might think.
5. Get a smart meter
Smart meters are usually free from your energy supplier. They're the little electronic meters you've probably seen on the telly. Terry says they'll "give you accurate real-time information on how much energy you are using and will encourage you to be more careful with your energy use".
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