Savings of over €850 a year on your energy bill can be made through small changes which will help to cut down electricity costs, an energy expert has said.

Figures from the Central Statistics Office published yesterday show that the wholesale cost of electricity was 93.2% higher in December last year compared to November. It was also 10.4% higher in December 2022 compared to December 2021.

Price comparison website Switcher.ie has said that there is no guarantee that energy bills will drop soon, but scaling back some daily routines and swapping everyday appliances could save a household €850.72 a year.

Its energy expert, Eoin Clarke, said: "Reduce and replace where possible. Tweak your daily routines and if you need a new appliance, opt for the energy-saving choice because small changes stack up to make big savings".

Running one less washing machine cycle per week could save a household €22 a year. This can be aided by setting the temperature to 30C. If a household ditches the dryer, they could save €5.19 a week in energy costs, or €292.24 a year. Reducing time spent in the shower from 15 minutes to 10 minutes could save €2.13 a week or €111 a year. Drying your hair for 10 minutes, six days per week, will set you back 0.65c per week.

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Towel-dry for longer and trim drying time to five minutes to save yourself 0.32c per week and €16.64 per year.

Using a slow cooker or air fryer instead of an electric cooker could save €2.14 a week, and replacing an old kettle with a rapid boil kettle could save €0.93 a week - adding up to €159.64 savings in a year. Cutting dishwasher cycles to two a week from four and racking up its capacity to the maximum could save €67.60 a year.

In terms of household appliances, swapping out old corded items with cordless could save €8.84 per year in energy bills. If you are working from home, don't use the desktop computer as a laptop is more energy-efficient, saving €2.42 a week in electricity.