Huge question if smart meters save you money has been answered by Martin Lewis' experts

As the winter months draw in and temperatures plummet the issue of heating the home without going broke is going to be on many minds.

Plenty of people are wondering if it's time to put the heating on yet, and if so whether it should be on all the time or only for a short time each day.

Getting energy bills is no fun at all and there are going to be a number of people who will struggle to pay them, and it'll be even worse for those who aren't sure how much they're supposed to be paying.

When it comes to saving money, the man you want to be listening to is Martin Lewis and his team over at Money Saving Expert.

They've been tackling a few of the myths around energy bills at just the right time that people need his advice.

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The team at Money Saving Expert reckon you should only heat your house 'only when you need it' as they say you'll be losing energy all day otherwise, though they note that keeping the heating on all the time can prevent condensation from collecting in the walls.

They also note that they're a site dedicated to saving money, so they're 'focused on cost' above all and note that if you're going away for a long time you should leave the heating on to stop the pipes from freezing and causing massive damage.

Switching off devices you're not using at the wall also got a mention, while they also said it would be a good idea to use plastic sheets on the windows to help insulate the home.

As for the big question on smart meters, the boffins at Money Saving Expert said that they won't help you save money, at least not by themselves.

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What these gadgets are good for is figuring out ways you can cut down on your energy usage, but just getting a smart meter won't magically make you owe less money on your next energy bill.

While in theory smart meters cut out on estimated bills and mean you wouldn't be paying over the odds, it won't sort out your bills by itself.

According to Money Saving Expert the biggest benefit of a smart meter is knowing how much your current energy usage is costing and figuring out ways to get that cost down.

There have been some horror stories about people who installed a smart meter and were shocked to discover their bills skyrocket.

Fortunately most of these have been due to an error and it's not a conspiracy from big smart meter to get you under their wing before whacking up the prices.

Topics: UK News, Money, Martin Lewis

Joe Harker

Joe graduated from the University of Salford with a degree in Journalism and worked for Reach before joining the LADbible Group. When not writing he enjoys the nerdier things in life like painting wargaming miniatures and chatting with other nerds on the internet. He's also spent a few years coaching fencing. Contact him via [email protected]

@MrJoeHarker