You’ve been using your clothes dryer all wrong, and a simple hack could cut your bills by two-thirds

MILLIONS face soaring energy bills — but there are ways you can cut costs.

Families like to save money when using household appliances such as clothes dryers.

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And one social media user explained in the Reduce your supermarket spend Facebook group how you can reduce your costs when using the device – but not in the way you think.

The savvy saver said: “Once you’ve washed your laundry in the washing machine – I use the quick wash – turn the dial to spin and drain.

“It takes about 12 minutes and leaves your clothes almost dry.

“And because they are almost dry, the drying time in the tumble dryer is reduced by two thirds afterwards, which saves electricity and money.”

Based on the tip of the savvy consumer in the Facebook group, Reduce your supermarket expenses, we calculated how much you could save.

A tumble dryer using 2.5 kilowatts of energy per cycle would cost you 85p an hour under the current Energy Price Guarantee.

So if you use the dryer once a day, every day of the year, you will end up making money

So if you use the dryer once a day all year round you will end up spending £310.25.

If you can cut dryer life by two-thirds you save £206.83, bringing your annual costs down to £103.41.

Will Owen, energy expert at Uswitch.com, said: “The longer your tumble dryer cycle, the more money it’s going to cost you.

“When your clothes are soaking wet, it takes a lot longer to get them dry, which dramatically increases your energy bill.”

The hack comes at a good time as households grapple with soaring energy bills, currently at £2,500 for an average family due to the energy price guarantee.

They are set to rise to £3,000 from April following Chancellor Jeremy Hunt’s autumn statement.

Millions of households should be about to also receive a £400 energy rebate applied as a discount on bills.

The discount was split into six monthly installments that began last October. All six should be paid by March.

How else can I save on my bills?

Heated drying racks can be a great alternative to clothes dryers if you’re looking to save more money.

That’s not all. Purchasing insulation will prevent heat from escaping through your attic and can save you hundreds on bills.

Also, insulate your attic hatch – this will prevent further heat from escaping.

Closing your curtains in the evenings, when temperatures naturally drop, will also keep the heat in.

And opening them up in the morning to let the sun in will warm you up.

In other energy bill news, British Gas was told to make a major change after forcing entry into customers’ homes to fit prepaid meters.

We also reveal how much it costs to run a wood stove.

Do you have a money problem that needs clarification? Email money-sm@news.co.uk