WITH money tight, many households will be looking for ways to save costs when whipping up their Christmas dinner.
New research by Uswitch has found the cost of cooking a festive feast has risen 7% compared with last year.
It’s around 20p more than what the typical home paid last year as Ofgem‘s energy price cap was lower.
But avoiding energy guzzling tools such as your oven could help you save around 30% – or £1.23 – on the big day.
Those keen to save, should look to dig out their slow cooker and get their air fryer ready to go.
These devices use less electricity than bigger appliances such as your oven.
For example, roasties are a must-have for most Christmas dinners, but banging them in the oven instead of the air fryer can cost you an extra 22p.
Banging your tatties in the oven for two hours to crisp up will cost 53p, but they will cook for 50 minutes in the fryer for just 31p.
If you plan to use frozen potatoes from a store you can just bang them in straight from the packet.
However, if you are cooking from fresh you will need to factor in 9p to parboil the delight for 10 minutes.
Meanwhile, you can save 6p by cooking your mash in the slow cooker instead of on the hob.
It costs just 11p to cook the creamy side in the device for around four hours, but on the hob it takes 17p to cook for 20minutes.
Prep time will be longer if you opt for the slow cooker, but worth bearing in mind if you are looking for ways to save.
Energy scrooges can also save around 21p by cooking their pigs in blankets in the air fryer instead of the oven.
Meanwhile, cooking your custard in the microwave can save around 5p.
You can check out the price of cooking your full Christmas dinner below:
Households who have the means to cook their food in different appliances will pay £2.82.
While it could cost you around £4.06 in total if you stick to more expensive methods. Making simple swaps could save you £1.23.
How to save on your electricity bill this Christmas
If you are worried about your energy bills this Christmas, know there are ways to save.
For example, households with a smart meter can get £10 worth of free electricity on Christmas Day with the click of a few buttons.
All you have to do is sign up to the Power Hours scheme by comparison site Uswitch by December 21.
Uswitch will then monitor your electricity usage on the day and refund the cost up to a maximum of £10.
Which other suppliers offer free energy?
IF you’re not with EDF, you might still be able to get free electricity from your supplier. Here are the other schemes available…
British Gas
British Gas‘s widely popular Peak Save scheme offers customers half-price electricity every Sunday between 11am and 4pm.
The supplier says that over 650,000 customers have already joined the initiative, collectively saving an impressive £13million.
Scottish Power
For those who find the restricted timeframe of British Gas’s Peak Save scheme challenging, Scottish Power’s Power Saver Scheme offers a potential solution with greater flexibility.
While both schemes offer 50% off electricity between 11am and 4pm on Sundays, Scottish Power extends this discount to Saturdays as well.
This provides a wider window of opportunity for customers to shift their energy consumption and maximise their savings.
Octopus
Octopus Energy offers its Octoplus members free electricity during times when the grid is at its greenest.
When energy market prices drop, the supplier shares those savings with enrolled customers through hour-long Free Electricity sessions.
These slots typically occur between 1pm and 2pm during the summer months, when demand is at its lowest.
Ovo
Ovo Energy‘s Power Move is a scheme that rewards customers for reducing their electricity usage during peak hours, typically between 4pm and 7pm on weekdays.
It’s not a guaranteed discount, but rather a prize draw system.
If you successfully reduce your energy consumption during these peak times to below a certain percentage of your daily total (usually 12.5% or 15%), you’re entered into a monthly prize draw.
Prizes range from £2 to £2,000 of free energy.
On a day when UK households are busy roasting turkeys and cranking up the heating, it’s an easy way to slash costs.
And the good news is, you can claim the offer whichever your energy supplier is.
To get involved, download the Uswitch app and connect it to your smart meter.
Elsewhere, EDF is offering free energy through its Sunday Saver challenge throughout December.
The programme runs every month and usually lets you get up to 16 hours of free electricity.
But a change in December means you’ll automatically get eight hours of extra free electricity on Christmas Day between 8am and 4pm.
You could also get up to £2,000 in debt relief through the British Gas Energy Trust.
The fund is available to existing British Gas customers who are experiencing energy debt or at risk of fuel poverty.
But you will need to have an energy debt between £50-£2,000 on a pre-payment meter or £250-£2,000 on a credit account.
