Households will be £45 richer with 4-minute shower task

Households across the UK will be £45 richer on average simply by cutting their shower time down to four minutes. You might not think that time spent in the shower can rack up your energy costs, but the pennies can quickly add up, particularly if you're partial to a long soak.

According to the Energy Saving Trust, a really easy way to save money is simply sticking to four-minute showers as this can save a typical household in England, Scotland and Wales £45 per year in energy costs, or £65 per year for households in Northern Ireland. Not only that, the shorter shower time can also help to save around 17,000 litres of water annually, so you can make a positive impact on the environment simply by having a quicker wash.

The Energy Saving Trust said: "When most of us think of the bathroom, we might not think of it as a room in the home that uses a lot of energy. But did you know that your water use at home contributes to your energy bills and your household carbon footprint?

"Saving water can not only reduce your water bill (if you're on a water meter), but it can also reduce your energy bills and your impact on the environment."

It adds: "Shortening the time that you spend in the shower will reduce the volume of water that goes down the drain, as well as saving you money on the energy used to heat the water.

"Keeping your shower time to just four minutes could save you £45 a year in GB and £65 in NI. You'll also save 17,000 litres of water a year."

To make further easy savings, the Energy Saving Trust says giving up a bubble bath at least once a week in favour of a four-minute shower can give the typical UK household £10 per year back and save 4,000 litres of water annually.

Of course giving up long showers isn't for you, then you could opt to install a water-saving shower head instead to cut costs. According to Martin Lewis' Money Saving Expert (MSE), you can get one of these fitted for free in England and Wales if you're not on a water meter, and this can save a typical household around £25 per year.

The advice comes as energy bills are due to rise for households in England, Scotland and Wales from October 1 when energy regulator Ofgem increases its price cap by 2%.

The increase will mean the average home paying by direct debit for gas and electricity will see their bills rise from £1,720 per year to £1,755 - an increase of £35 from the current price.

Standing charges will also rise from October 1 by 4% for electricity and 14% for gas, or 7p per day, which is primarily driven by the government's expansion of the Warm Home Discount Scheme.

The price cap sets the maximum rate per unit and standing charge that customers can be charged by suppliers for their energy use but not the total bill, so those who use more energy ultimately pay more.

While the price cap won't affect households on fixed tariffs, it still pays to cut costs where you can and shortening your shower time is one of the easiest ways you can do this.