After energy regulator Ofcom rose its price cap by nearly £700, millions of households across the UK have been impacted by soaring bills.
People who are on a default tariff and pay via direct debit has seen their price cap go up by £693, from £1,277 to £1,971.
Meanwhile, prepayment customers have experienced an even larger jump, with their price cap rising from £1,309 to £2,017.
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As a result of rocketing energy bills, in conjunction with the worsening cost of living, people across Scotland and the UK are seeking ways of reducing their energy use.
As reported by The Mirror, experts at Uswitch.com have revealed whether it is cheaper to use a microwave or full-size oven for cooking.
Is it cheaper to use a microwave or oven?
Energy expert at Uswitch Sarah Broomfield told The Mirror in general it is significantly more energy efficient to use a microwave.
She said: “For example, cooking a baked potato in the oven would cost around 27p compared to 3p in the microwave."
To investigate the comparison, Uswitch used an oven that uses 0.97kW of power, compared with a microwave that uses 0.8Kw.
As well as consuming less energy, microwaves tend to be used for far shorter time periods than ovens.
For example, a baked potato may take around an hour in the oven, but less than 10 minutes in the microwave.
Based on these time frames and power usage, Uswitch estimates it would cost 27p to cook a baked potato in the oven and just 3p in the microwave.
Additionally, the majority of ready meals are finished much faster in the microwave, with most only taking around five minutes — compared with around 30 in an oven.
Broomfield added that slow cooked may also be a cheap alternative to using an oven.
She continued: “They use less energy and come with the added benefit of providing a fully cooked meal when you finish work if you get your timings right.
“A casserole cooked in the oven would cost around 54p in energy, versus 22p in the slow cooker.”
