A thrifty woman has shared some hacks that will people halve their energy bills, including charging her phone on a solar panel and cooking on a camping stove. Kerry Collinson, 51, from Crewkerne in Somerset, decided to act after her energy bill rocketed due to the cost of living crisis, reports the Hull Daily Mail.
Since she made the changes she has managed to cut her gas bill by two-thirds and also halve her electricity bill. Now the crafty mum only pays £10 a month, after the £60 government grant.
The commercial cleaner has had her central heating switched off but she insists her "quality of life" has not changed and that she's "very happy".
Kerry said: "I don't want to cut back on the nice things I've worked hard for my whole life so greedy energy firms can put it in their pockets. I'm very happy, I've still got what I need and I haven't had to give up the things I love to do like going out for dinner or Netflix.
"I've more than halved my energy bill, even from before the price rise. We never put the central heating on, we got a log burner instead, and we use electric blankets when we're cold.
"We never turn on the oven, and we stopped using the induction hob because I could see the smart meter literally spin everytime I used it. So now I have two camping stoves and use an air fryer or a microwave to cook - it costs me £1.20 for the whole week whereas before it would cost 70p per meal."
Kerry also uses solar light panels and doesn't turns her lights on in the evening, relying on solar lights that charge through the day and a log burner. She also has a transportable solar panel that she uses to chrage her phone. Most importantly she says it is crucial to always turn things off when not needed.
She said: "We started buying solar stuff in the summer because, with the war, we had a feeling that we should be prepared. So we bought lights, lanterns and a fold up solar panel that charges our devices for free. We don't use the oven anymore, and generally day to day we make sure all our lights are off and make sure everything's unplugged when we don't need it."
At it's highest, Kerry's previous energy bill was £230, but now after her precautions she is paying just £95. However, she says she will be treating herself and turning on the oven on Christmas Day.
She said: "A few people I know have said they don't know whether they could do this but that I have a few good ideas. It's mostly about being more aware, turning things off when you're not in the room and being more frugal. In the past I'd pay my bills and just think it's a thing I have to do as an adult, but now it just rubs me the wrong way.
"Why should so many people have to cut back on other things to put money into the pocket of someone who doesn't deserve it. I'm not a political person at all, but I don't want to give my money to people like that. I'd rather spend it on other things I love."
Don't miss the latest news from around Scotland and beyond - Sign up to our daily newsletter here.
