Completing a home energy survey is a good place to start as it identifies which improvements would save you the most money and have the greatest impact on reducing your energy consumption. Visit the Energy Saving Trust website to complete the survey and get information on all the steps you can take to make your home more efficient or call their free advice helpline for householders - 0800 512 012.

Fuel bills can be reduced by changing suppliers and/or changing to a dual fuel bill. There are a number of price comparison websites to work out the cheapest. Just type in 'compare energy prices' into a search engine.

Consumer Direct can help if you are having problems with your energy supplier or you want impartial advice on switching suppliers. They also give advice for elderly and vulnerable consumers. Call 08454 04 05 06 if you would prefer to talk to someone.

Check if there’s a cheaper way to pay - If you pay by cash or cheque your supplier will write to you this winter but you don’t have to wait for their letter to find out if you could be saving money. You can contact your energy supplier to ask them what the cheapest deal is that they can offer you. You can also find out whether you are eligible for extra financial help if you are on a low income or additional support from the suppliers’ Priority Services Register.

Cheaper prices for pre-payment meter customers: Equigas and Equipower are tariffs from not-for-profit company, EBICo which offers cheaper prices for all pre-payment meter customers and those using relatively small quantities of fuel who pay a quarterly bill. The same unit rate is offered to everyone regardless of how much you use or how you pay. For more information call EBICo on 0800 458 7689 or visit EBICo's website. 

Economy 7: You may think the Economy 8 (E7) off-peak electricity tariff is saving you money, but unless you use electric storage radiators which specifically use the off-peak electricity, you may be paying more for your electricity than you need. Even if you put the dishwasher and washing machine on overnight, you may not be using enough Economy 7 electricity to compensate for the slightly increased day-time rate which you are being charged. By reading your meter or looking at your bill, you can determine how much you are using and what tariff you are paying. Alternatively, contact your supplier (the number is on your bill) and ask them to tell you whether you would be better off transferring to another tariff.

To reduce your fuel bills, install insulation in your loft and walls. Warmstreets is a home insulation project run in conjunction with Rushcliffe Borough Council and Apex Carbon Solutions which maximises the grants available to you for cavity wall insulation and loft insulation.

This time limited offer includes free loft insulation for any private household (owned or rented) that currently has none (or less than 100mm), as well as free cavity wall insulation.

Households that already have at least 100mm of loft insulation but less than 150mm can pay a heavily subsidised price of just £99 to have it topped up to the recommended level of 270mm.

For customers not on benefits, prices are £49 for loft insulation (if existing insulation is 60mm or less), £99 for top up loft installation and £99 for cavity wall insulation.

Contact Warmstreets for a free survey from 8am – 8pm on 0800 043 9569 or from a mobile on 0333 577 9569.

Most energy suppliers help customers who are experiencing difficulty paying for their fuel (if they are on a low income, are disabled or over 60).

The Warm Home Discount Scheme provides a rebate on electricity bills in winter to those on Pension Credit Guarantee Element. If you are on Pension Credit Guarantee Element you don't need to apply yourself as this will be done automatically for you by your energy company.

A broader group of customers (discretionary to the energy companies) are also eligible for Warm Home Discount. British Gas has closed for broader group applications. You can't apply until April 2012 for January 2013, which will be the second years payment. Scottish Power has closed with no more payments until January 2013. Details of remaining companies and their eligibility criteria can be found here: Who offers the cheapest gas and electricity? .

Fit radiator backing panels and you’ll make your home warmer by about 1ºC. You can then turn down your thermostat by 1ºC and save about 10% on your heating bill. A pack of 10 panels costs £10 and each panel is approximately half a metre square, but can be stuck together for bigger radiators. Collect them from the RCCC Location Map or from local contact points if you pay in advance.

See how much electricity you’re using by borrowing one of our monitors for up to three weeks from your local library or mobile library. Find out which appliances use the most energy, then change your habits and cut your costs.