Tips from top Brummie organisations to cut hundreds of pounds off your bills this Energy Savers Week

Household energy bills remain some 43% higher today than they were before the start of the energy crisis, and the energy price cap is predicted to rise again in April.

In Birmingham - which has some of the country's draughtiest housing stock, with more than 75% of homes in some areas rated EPC Band D or lower - frontline organisations have compiled their own energy tips.

Witton Lodge Community Association in Perry Common has a list of ten ways for the average household to cut bills by potentially hundreds of pounds a year:

• Wash clothes at 30C. A 10C reduction can almost halve the energy costs of a wash!
• Closing internal doors will trap warm air and prevent cold air from entering, maximising heat circulation and efficiency
• Keeping your shower time to just four minutes could save a typical household £60 a year
• Switch to energy saving bulbs, such as LED and CFL (compact fluorescent lamps). These use significantly less electricity than traditional incandescent bulbs
• Set your thermostat to 18-21C. A reduction of just 1C can save around £80 a year (*Older people or those with health issues should speak to a Witton Lodge or other community organisation energy adviser regarding adjusting their thermostat)
• Switch your devices off at the wall when they are not in use. This can save around £65 a year
• If you do not have wall insulation, place insulation foil behind your radiators to reduce heat loss into the walls
• Dry clothes outdoors or on an airer in a well-insulated space, to save on dryer costs and reduce the possibility of damp and mould
• Only fill your kettle with the water you need, to help reduce boiling time
• Make use of an air fryer. They are much more efficient compared to a conventional oven

Edgbaston-based Midlands Heart Housing Association, which manages 34,000 homes across the UK and supports more than 70,000 people to live independently, advises tenants to:

1) Use draught excluders, essential to help stop heat escaping through any gaps around your windows and doors

2) Hang a set of curtains with thermal lining over windows and doors, to shut out the cold and give your home a cosier touch

Ryecroft Community Hub in Walsall’s Blakenall Ward is releasing a free mobile App next month to raise awareness of energy support and wider sustainability issues.

The App will feature links to grants and hardship funds, mould-prevention advice, a "Know Your Rights" section, and another on the health dangers of occupying a cold house.

The App's five energy saving tips for those struggling with bills are:

• VACATE: Visit community centres with warm spaces, and family and friends during the winter months to limit how much you're spending heating your home
• INSULATE: Lock in heat and lower bills by exploring loft and wall insulation options
• VENTILATE: Without proper ventilation, an otherwise insulated and airtight house will seal in harmful pollutants like carbon monoxide, plus moisture which can damage a house. Proper ventilation helps keep a home energy-efficient, safe and healthy
• OPERATE: Understand how to operate your appliances in the most efficient way. Charge storage heaters at night if you're on a cheaper night-time tariff. Turn appliances off when not in use rather than keep them on standby, and turn down heating by 1C to save money
• EDUCATE: Understand how energy works, your consumer rights and how to obtain a better deal

Dave Taylor from Ryecroft, which holds a weekly energy cafe, said staff and volunteers are "rushed off our feet" with demand for help with bills and home energy problems. "It's hard for us - you see people in tears, it's awful. People with relatives in Spain and other countries say that they don't have it as bad as us."

The Hub’s WEAP project, in partnership with organisations across the borough, has created and delivered to 28 people so far specially targeted Level 2 training for energy and climate champions.

Without frontline organisations' work contacting energy companies on behalf of struggling residents the situation would be "catastrophic," Taylor warns. But he worries that all the energy support and advice Ryecroft can offer is "just a sticking plaster on a wound," without wider access to grants for energy efficiency improvements to homes.

For government energy efficiency grants such as ECO there is typically an eligibility threshold of less than £31,000 household income. Private and social landlords are in practice highly unlikely to support tenants in applying for grants.

"If you want people to buy into addressing climate change, you've got to make it worth their while," Taylor says. "They've got too many other pressures on budgets. You've got to make it attractive, you've got to make it easy for them to obtain.

“In four years, I don't know anyone who's managed to get an ECO grant. These criteria need to radically change”.