These are the top 10 most common things Brits have done to reduce their energy usage this summer

British households have reduced their energy spend by an average of £22 a month by making simple changes since the price cap rise in April, such as leaving hair to dry naturally, switching devices off at the socket – and limiting use of the tumble dryer.

A study of 5,000 adults found 28 per cent say this is the first summer they’ve made attempts to reduce their energy use.

Top tips to shrink energy use

These attempts include turning unused lights off (49 per cent), switching devices off at the socket (39 per cent) and disconnecting phone chargers at the mains (37 per cent).

As well as hanging washing outside as opposed to using a dryer (38 per cent) and letting their hair dry naturally instead of using a hairdryer (26 per cent).

For those who have adjusted their energy habits for summer, bills have been reduced by an average of £22.09 a month.

And of those surveyed who have seen a reduction in their bills, the number of people with a smart meter was 23 per cent higher than those without one installed.

The monthly financial saving over the course of the year would amount to almost £270.

Smart energy savers report

The research was commissioned by Smart Energy GB, to inform its Super Smart Energy Savers Report, which is co-authored with consumer advocates Dominic Littlewood, Helen Skelton and MoneyMagpie.

TV presenter Dominic Littlewood and Smart Energy GB have also launched a new online mini-series, What’s Watt, tracking three families across the UK as they take steps to reduce their energy use.

Dominic Littlewood said: “Visiting homes across Great Britain was an eye opener.

“It’s clear that people have become more energy conscious – even though sometimes it’s one member of the household leading the change.

“Whilst many people are taking lots of positive steps to manage their energy use, by working directly with families we found we were able to identify more simple steps they could take, such as getting a smart meter to monitor their energy use.

Turning to fans to cool down

The study also found 28 per cent of households use fans to cool off during the warmer months, with nearly one in five (17 per cent) leaving them on all night, according to the OnePoll figures.

Charlene Lijertwood, who was visited by Dom Littlewood as part of his What’s Watt series, said: “We’ve been making a lot of changes around the home to try and reduce our energy bills.

“And with bills increasing as much as they have, my husband and I have also taken on extra work to increase our income.

“We considered ourselves to be on top of it but speaking to Dom has shown us ways to save energy we wouldn’t have considered otherwise.

“We’d already got our smart meter and it’s been useful to have bills automatically sent to our energy supplier, while having an idea of how much energy we’re using each day by monitoring our in-home display.”

Victoria Bacon, director at Smart Energy GB, added: “The summer is traditionally a time that energy use and bills are pushed to the back of our minds, but the energy price cap increase has changed that.