WITH the new energy cap for October still around 27% higher than current averages, we continue with our energy save information so you can see where all the money goes. Not surprisingly, the top 14 energy guzzlers throughout the house are in the kitchen. This is not including the heating or air conditioning systems, which I will come to after the chart and which is the biggest user of energy.

These figures are amounts used per appliance on average across the country by Uswitch and energy saving trust, which is not the same as per hour.

The illustration just shows what typical appliance is the most expensive in your household, but not necessarily the most expensive per hour. In order of highest costs: 1, Gas hob. 2, Electric hob. 3, Kettle. 4, Freezer. 5, Tumble dryer. 6, Fridge freezer combined.  7, Fridge. 8, Iron. 9, Air fryer. 10,  Electric oven. 11, Dishwashers. 12, Coffee maker. 13, Washing machine. 14, Microwave.

Just bear this in mind, that the Freezer is number 4, but it is on continuously, whereas the Kettle was only on 1 hour 45 minuets and at number 3. The chart gives you an idea of typical uses, but not how much per hour.

One surprising fact is that the gas hob was slightly more than electricity. Therefore, when using the hob, make sure your saucepan fits the whole hob both for gas and electricity. And when it comes to gas, do not have the flames going up the sides all-round, this is very wasteful (may need a bigger saucepan).

The hottest part of a flame is the tips of the flame, so keep them down and under the pan and not up the side as you see in many adds.

The final big debate with many experts: Is it cheaper to leave your heating on when out, or not? The answer is complicated. The simple answer is if it’s money only you want to save, then ‘turning off,’ gets most experts reply. The principle is, ‘if it’s not on, it’s not wasting anything!’

The only exception to this is a fully Eco home with super insulation, and then it makes only a small difference. Just programme your timer to swich on 20 minutes before you get home.

If you’re going to be away in the cold of winter for more than 12 hours, to save burst pipes and the fabric of the building getting very cold, leave the heating on and set it at around 12 C degrees.

With hot water storage cylinders, make sure they are really well insulated, and have it programmed to come on for say one hour a day at a time you think best suits your requirements.

Just like the heating, leaving the hot water on continuous, can be very expensive.

The only exception to this is, if you are a B&B or have continual need for hot water at all times.

Please note: all hot water and heating tips should always be checked out with your heating engineer if in doubt with your own systems. And remember not to turn down your boiler thermostat lower than the cylinder thermostat, or it won’t turn off.

Your cylinder Stat can be less than 65C , which is far too hot and can burn you, but not lower than around 54C, or it may grow bacteria in the tank.