The Standard's journalism is supported by our readers.
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journalism → support → readers
When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission.
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we → purchase → commission
Earlier today, Chancellor John Healey announced that around 20 million households across the UK will get a £100 discount on their energy bills this winter.
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households → announce → bills
Households in council tax bands A to D will qualify for the ‘Household Energy Payment’, and the rebate will go directly into their bank accounts, costing the government around £2.6bn.
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rebate → qualify → 2.6bn
Healey announced in his budget speech, “Let me say this to families at home.
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me → announce → home
I know that with the conflict in the Middle East, rising energy bills are a real worry.
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bills → know → East
I know that people look to government at times like this, not to solve all their problems, but to give them a bit of breathing space.”
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people → know → space
Whether you apply and want to save further, or just missed the qualifying bands, finding ways to cut your energy bills this winter is always a smart idea.
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finding → apply → bills
Our shopping team have reviewed hundreds of energy-efficient products over the years – and many can help save significantly on your bills.
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many → review → bills
From heated airers to dehumidifiers, I’ve rounded up the best tried and tested, cost-busting appliances below.
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I → round → appliances
Unless you’ve been living under a rock, air fryers have quickly become the must-have item in your kitchen – and for good reason.
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fryers → live → reason
Cutting cooking time and rustling up healthier food thanks to little-to-no oil, air fryers are also excellent for energy efficiency.
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fryers → cut → efficiency
Their wattage (between 800W and 3,000W) is far lower compared to an oven (anywhere from 2,200W to 5,000W).
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wattage → compare → 5,000W
According to expert tester Rachael Penn, the best large air fryer to invest in is InstantPot Vortex Versazone.
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fryer → accord → Penn
The air fryer’s 12L drawer makes it “ideal for cooking an entire meal in the air fryer or catering for a family; the split configuration – dubbed the SyncFinish function – cooks a main and sides so they’re ready at the same time.”
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they → make → time
The airfryer’s functions span air frying, roasting, grilling, baking, dehydrating, and reheating, giving your oven little to no need to be switched on.
- Capacity: 12L
- Size: 53 x 31 x 48cm
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functions → span → need
Instead of whacking up your entire household's central heating, consider targeting heat in the rooms that actually need it.
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that → whack → it
Smart heaters connect to Wi-Fi or Bluetooth, allowing you to monitor, schedule, and control your home's temperature remotely using a smartphone app, smart home hub, or voice assistant, making it easy to turn off when you’re not in and put on efficient timers.
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you → connect → timers
When looking for the best energy-efficient electric heater to keep your home warm this winter, Rachael Penn had nothing but praise for the Dreo smart whole-room heater.
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Penn → look → heater
“Alongside app connectivity, it uses a motorised top which offers either focused hot air or a 360 degrees spread for the whole room,” she said.
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she → use → room
“It performs just as well in my small home office as it does in the bedroom, where it kept the whole room cosy.
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it → perform → room
“The fan appliance heats up almost instantly, with a temperature range between 5-32º – perfect if you like it to feel like the tropics inside your own home.
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it → heat → home
The compact, circular design doesn’t take up too much room, and it doesn’t get hot enough to pose a threat to pets.”
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it → take → pets
Room coverage: 15-25m²
Swan 20L Low Energy Dehumidifier
Dehumidifiers have fast become a winter essential.
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Dehumidifiers → become → ?
These appliances extract excess moisture from indoor air to prevent mould, while reducing condensation, eliminating musty odours and easing allergies and asthma.
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appliances → extract → allergies
The energy-saving benefits are two-pronged.
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benefits → save → ?
When placed by a clothes horse, dehumidifiers can dry laundry indoors fast and cost-efficiently, compared to a tumble dryer.
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dehumidifiers → place → dryer
Dehumidifiers can also lower heating costs, as drier air takes less energy to heat than damp air – allowing you to feel warmer at lower thermostat settings.
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you → lower → settings
The Swan 20L Low Energy Dehumidifier was dubbed the top low-energy dehumidifier by our reviewer.
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Dehumidifier → dub → reviewer
Tackling damp and mould in your home, she highlighted how “its built-in sensor lets you set a target between 40 and 80 per cent, and the machine switches off once that level is reached.
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level → tackle → 40
This means you don't have to leave it running constantly.”
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you → mean → it
“Although there's no dedicated laundry mode, I set it to 40 per cent humidity and left it in a closed room with my clothes horse.
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I → be → horse
It noticeably sped up drying.
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It → speed → drying
The 4l tank was generous enough that I didn't need to empty it too frequently during testing.”
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I → need → testing
Typically using between 200W and 300W of power, and costing roughly 6p to 9p per hour to run, their warming metal rails accelerate moisture evaporation – drying shirts, trousers, and jumpers in a few hours rather than an entire day.
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rails → use → day
Household appliance tester Zoe Griffin was sold on VonHaus’s large heated airer with cover.
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Griffin → sell → cover
The airer comes with a peg hanger for socks and underwear, a flat mesh shelf for delicate items, and a fitted cover to trap warm air around the clothes.
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airer → come → clothes
Zoe explains: “I could fit a good-size wash across the three tiers, without bunching clothes tightly together.
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I → explain → clothes
Once I added the cover, warmth circulated the whole load – drying was noticeably quicker and more even.
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drying → add → load
I saved an hour and a half drying t-shirts using the cover.
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I → save → cover
…and 1 more, not listed.
The Aporia
