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<\/p>\nA SAVVY mum-of-two has slashed \u00a3200 off the household bills by turning off her oven and using an air fryer instead.<\/p>\n
She\u2019s then made further savings by dramatically reducing the amount of time she has the heating on.<\/p>\n
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Bryony Lewis lives in Fareham, Hampshire, with\u00a0her husband, seven-year-old son, and five-year-old daughter. \u00a0<\/p>\n
The 39-year-old is a self-employed e-commerce business owner. <\/p>\n
She runs\u00a0T & Belle, a firm which creates and sells gifts and keepsakes for new mums and parents.\u00a0<\/p>\n
With the\u00a0cost of living\u00a0on the up, Bryony was determined to find ways to keep a lid on rising\u00a0bills.<\/p>\n
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She told The Sun. \u201cWhen\u00a0energy prices\u00a0started\u00a0to go up, I looked at which appliances in our house had the highest energy consumption.<\/p>\n
I wanted to see if there were areas where we could cut back in order to lower our usage. <\/p>\n
"We used our\u00a0smart meter\u00a0to find out where our money was going.\u201d<\/p>\n
Some appliances use more energy than others to run.\u00a0<\/p>\n
<\/span><\/p>\n <\/span><\/p>\n <\/span><\/p>\n <\/span><\/p>\n Bryony found that her electric\u00a0oven\u00a0and gas\u00a0central heating\u00a0were among the worst culprits, driving her bills sky-high.<\/p>\n \u201cThese energy-guzzlers were costing us a fortune, so I set about finding alternatives,\u201d she said. <\/p>\n \u201cOur\u00a0washing machine\u00a0also featured near the top of that list, but as there's no real alternative to this appliance, we decided to focus on the others.\u201d<\/p>\n According to\u00a0Uswitch, under the July 2023\u00a0price cap, it costs around 60p to run a 2kw oven for an hour.<\/p>\n The price cap is currently \u00a32,074 a year on average, but from the start of October, is due to fall to \u00a31,923.<\/p>\n Bryony added: \u201cWe probably used to use our oven around 10 hours a week, meaning a weekly cost of \u00a36.\u201d<\/p>\n Over a year, this could mean the family was spending a whopping \u00a3300 on this appliance alone.<\/p>\n \u201cOnce I\u2019d discovered how much it was costing to use the oven, I was quite shocked,\u201d said the money-saving mum. <\/p>\n \u201cThis prompted me to start looking for alternatives to try and save money. <\/p>\n "I\u2019d heard a lot about air fryers but I took a bit of convincing. <\/p>\n "Now I\u2019ve got one and have seen just how easy they are to use, and how evenly they cook stuff, I\u2019m a complete convert.\u201d<\/p>\n Around a year ago, the family invested in a 7.6-litre Ninja Dual\u00a0air fryer\u00a0when it was on offer on\u00a0Amazon. They paid around \u00a3160.<\/p>\n Under the July 2023 price cap, to use a 1.4kw air fryer for 20 minutes costs just 14p, meaning using it for an hour would cost 42p.<\/p>\n Bryony said: \u201cAs it\u2019s a lot faster to cook with the air fryer, we probably only use it for a total of three or four hours a week,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n This means the family is spending less than \u00a32 per week on their air fryer, adding up to a yearly cost of under \u00a3100. <\/p>\n This is an annual saving of \u00a3200, compared to using an oven.<\/p>\n Bryony added: \u201cAs a result of this purchase, we only use the oven very occasionally now, typically just when cooking pizza or baking cakes, as those won\u2019t fit in the air fryer. <\/p>\n "Ditching the oven has significantly reduced our energy usage.\u201d<\/p>\n Making the switch to an air fryer is not the only step the family has taken. <\/p>\n They\u2019ve also made another big change in a bid to slash their energy bill.<\/p>\n \u201cWe got a log burner fitted last autumn,\u201d said Bryony. <\/p>\n \u201cThis means we rarely\u00a0have to use the gas central heating any more, only switching it on when we really need to.\u201d<\/p>\n As a result, the household now makes big savings there, too.<\/p>\n The savvy mum added: \u201cIt cost us around \u00a3800 to purchase the log burner, and as we already had an existing open fireplace, installation was pretty straightforward. <\/p>\n "In terms of running costs, we spent just \u00a385 on logs, kindling and firelighters last year, which lasted us the whole winter season.\u201d<\/p>\n This compares to spending hundreds of pounds on gas central heating.<\/p>\n In fact, figures from Uswitch show that based on typical consumption, the average household with gas central heating spends around \u00a3400 for three months of heating. <\/p>\n For those who have it on for closer to six months, this figure could almost double to \u00a3800.<\/p>\n \u201cDuring the colder months, we used the log burner every day when the children got home from school,\u201d said Bryony. <\/p>\n \u201cWe invested in good-quality logs which meant the unit gave out a lot of heat. <\/p>\n "We were able to heat the whole of the downstairs, meaning we could get away with using the central heating very sparingly, usually no more than one hour per day.\u201d<\/p>\n Aside from topping up on logs and kindling as and when needed, the only other real associated cost is getting the chimney swept regularly.<\/p>\n Bryony said: \u201cGetting a log burner really has been a very sensible option for us. <\/p>\n "In fact, both this, and the air fryer have helped tremendously with our energy bills. <\/p>\n "With all the price rises, these purchases have been a godsend.\u201d<\/p>\n Now that they are so much more aware of the big energy guzzlers, the whole family has become more diligent about the steps they take to be more efficient.<\/p>\n \u201cWe are careful to always\u00a0switch appliances off at the plug,\u201d said Bryony. <\/p>\n \u201cThis is a simple step that anyone can take. <\/p>\n "I\u2019d definitely urge other people to check their appliances, as if you\u2019re leaving things on standby, this could be costing you a lot of money. <\/p>\n "A few pence a day might not seem like much, but can soon add up.\u201d<\/p>\n When it comes to cutting energy spend, other quick wins include ditching the\u00a0tumble dryer\u00a0and\u00a0hanging clothes outside\u00a0if you can. <\/p>\n If this isn\u2019t an option for you, an indoor airer or even a\u00a0heated airer\u00a0will still work out a lot cheaper.<\/p>\n Turning your\u00a0thermostat\u00a0down by just one degree can be another easy way to save \u00a3100 a year.<\/p>\n For lots more ways to save, read \u2018Full list of energy tips which could slash your bills.<\/p>\n![](\"https:\/\/www.thesun.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/09\/newspress-collage-23991994-1694965700388.jpg\")
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