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Edinburgh Live
Edinburgh Live
National
Sophie Buchan

Martin Lewis urges people to change boiler settings to make 'big difference' and slash bills

Martin Lewis is known for sharing some great money-saving tips and tricks thanks to his own website and TV show.

And in addition to these great and reliable sources, he now has a podcast where he shares more great tips and advice when it comes to cutting down on bills.

This year has seen a rise in the cost of living with the crisis still very much ongoing. And in his latest podcast episode, he addressed these issues as well as hearing what people at home were doing to save money.

READ MORE: The 99p supermarket mince pie that was crowned 'the best' by blind taste test

Discussing home hacks, his co-host Nihal Arthanayake said that he was now experiencing "karma" saying that as a kid he was told to turn off all the lights when he wasn't using them, and whilst as a kid he found it annoying, he now does the same to his own children.

In the latest episode called 'Mortgages and Metres', listeners wrote in with what they do to save money - as well as getting advice from the experts. And Martin Lewis himself gave a handy tip for those looking to slash their bills.

But what did they say? Here's what listeners of the podcast had to say, and the financial guru...

Grab a blanket

One listener said that his wife sits at home with shorts and a t-shirt on but insists on putting on the heating which then turns into a "fight for the thermostat."

Martin Lewis replied: "Yeah that's not good, maybe you can bring a blanket down and subtly say 'oh this will be cosy' whilst X suggested getting a "massive, cosy dressing gown."

Martin added: "Look, there's an energy crisis on, we have energy security issues it's not that good to be sitting in your shorts. I don't want to tell anyone what to do, it's your decision as a family but I can clearly see why there's friction."

Boil the kettle once

One viewer said that she boils the kettle once for her cup of tea in the morning and the oiled water she doesn't use goes straight into a vacuum flask which she then uses later that day. This not only saves her time, it saves money as she is not having to boil the same water again, and thus cutting down on her energy costs.

Martin Lewis' money-saving tip on how to cut down energy bills

Talking about his own energy saving tips, the financial guru citied the 'Money Saving Boiler Challenge' which he noted has nothing to do with him or MSE due to the similar name.

"He explained: "If you have a gas combi boiler, which is the type most homes have, the flow rate on most of those boilers are set too high as a default.

"The flow rate is the temperature of the water that circulates around the system. If it's too high, the boiler isn't operating to maximum efficiency. So changing your flow rate can cut gas bills by over nine per cent and you won't notice a change.

"It might take a tiny bit longer to heat up but go and try it. Take the Money Saving Boiler Challenge which will give you step-by-step instructions on what to do on your boiler. I've been talking about this for six weeks or so and lots of people have said it's made a big difference and they don't notice it.

"So it changes your bill but doesn't change your home"

Christmas Day energy saving tip for cooking your festive feast

Calling into the show, one listener said that whilst celebrating Thanksgiving, his wife found that they could cook Turkey in half the time that it usually takes by spatchcocking the meat.

"You've heard of butterfly chicken. You can do it to Turkey by removing the backbone, splaying it out and it really reduces the cooking time by about half the normal time.

"And another thing we found was that it's the best flavoured, juicy Turkey we'd eaten" adding that it also meant they could cook vegetables at the same time."

This tip isn't isolated for the festive season as doing this can help your bills at any time of the year with the caller stating that it took their cooking time of "five or six hours to two or three."

Do you have any money-saving tips? Let us know in the comments below! to help others save on their bills.

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