RESIDENTS will be told this week how they can cut their energy bills as part of a campaign to keep households warm.

Bolton Citizens Advice Bureau (CAB) is helping people reduce their bills as part of the Big Energy Savings Week from October 20 to 24.

Householders will be given free advice and information on how to check they are on the best deal, how to reduce their energy usage and how to insulate their homes.

Advisers from Bolton CAB will be at Bolton’s UCAN Centres and Horwich Resource Centre where they will be able to help residents find out more.

Richard Wilkinson, chief officer at Bolton CAB, said: “We’re keen to make sure that nobody pays a penny more than they need to on energy costs, so we’re helping people to find practical ways of cutting their energy bills.

“People need help to make sure their energy costs aren’t getting the best of them.

“In the last four years households have seen their energy costs rise by a third, at seven times the rate of wages.

“To help people in Bolton who are struggling with these costs we will be on hand at the Big Energy Saving Week event at our offices on Mawdsley Street during the week to assist.”

A CAB survey revealed that North West Residents could save £56.1 a year if they take control of their heating — £75 a year per household.

In the last couple of weeks, it has also been revealed that North West homes could save £192.5m a year by switching appliances off standby, with only half of households who received an unexpectedly high energy bill checking if unused appliances were switched off.

Big Energy Saving Week – a joint campaign between Citizens Advice, Energy Saving Trust, and the Department of Energy and Climate Change (DECC) – reveals 74 per cent of Brits are still worried about their energy bills.

The campaign helps householders learn how to take control of their energy bills with free advice available during the week over the phone, online and at events across the UK.

Consumers can also get help and advice online at www.bigenergysavingweek.org.uk, from their local CAB, or can join in a twitter chat during the week. You can see a full list of events at http://tiny.cc/BESWevents .

FIVE MYTHS ABOUT HEATING WHICH WILL HELP SAVE YOU MONEY

An Ipsos MORI survey of over 2,000 UK respondents showed that almost four fifths of people (78 per cent) claim to understand how to use their heating controls. However, many of these respondents turn out to be using their heating controls incorrectly. Of those who thought they understood how to operate their heating controls:

• MYTH 1: Turn the heating up when it’s cold outside. Half (52 per cent) turn the thermostat up when it’s cold outside. A home shouldn’t need this as the thermostat is there to maintain the home temperature whatever the weather.

• MYTH 2: Turn up the thermostat to heat the room quicker. Over a third (35 per cent) turn their room thermostat up when they want the room to heat up quicker. This does not help a room become warmer any quicker and only heats the home to a warmer temperature.

• MYTH 3: Leave the heating on low constantly. Thirty-eight per cent think it is more energy efficient to leave the heating turned on at a low temperature constantly, rather than turn it on and off. This means these homes are heated when no-one is there to benefit and then the home is too cold when people are in the home.

• MYTH 4: Hot water runs out if you stop feeding the tank. Nearly a third (31 per cent) leave their water heating on all the time to make sure they never run out, which could be costing far more on their energy bills than necessary.

• MYTH 5: Keep electric storage heaters on all the time. Our research also found that few people with electric storage heaters fully understand how they work (only 38%). This means that households with electric heating could be paying through the nose by not taking advantage of cheaper night rate electricity.