Trick involving Beyonce 'could save £130 a year on energy bills'

Energy prices remain high and are set to rise again in January when Ofgem's price cap increases

Brits could pocket around £130 a year if they get Crazy in Love with lowering their bills - and only shower for as long as a classic Beyonce hit. Experts have revealed that cutting down on time spent under warm water jets can have an impact on household expenditure - and they say humming along to a pop song is a great way to help people keep track of how long they’ve spent in the steam.

Eleanor Potter, head of strategic product sourcing at Plumbworld, said: “Most people spend eight to 10 minutes in the shower - and even longer when the weather is cold like it is now. But with bills for both water consumption and heating so high, cutting this period in half can make a huge difference.

“A good way of doing this is by choosing a familiar song that runs for around the same amount of time. So Crazy in Love by Beyonce, featuring Jay-Z, is ideal as its closing notes come in around the three minutes and 56 seconds mark.

“If you’re more into 70s pop, Take a Chance on Me by Abba clocks up at 4:03, while anyone who fancies belting out a power ballad can try Set Fire to the Rain by Adele as it’s 4:02 - maybe just warn the neighbours first! Getting your kids involved is easy as there are plenty of musical choices from them, too. Happy from the film Despicable Me 2 is 3:52 and Justin Timberlake’s Can’t Stop the Feeling from the Trolls soundtrack is all over in three minutes and 57 seconds.”

Miss Potter added: “It’s not easy to put an exact figure on how much cutting your shower time in half would save, due to people being on a host of different tariffs and using either gas or electricity to power their hot water system. But we estimate it will be around £130 per year for the average UK household – money that is far better off in your pocket than down the plughole.”

In recent years, British households have been hit by a string of energy bill hikes which have placed huge pressure on finances. And while the latest price cap has made prices fall an average of 7% since October, costs remain high for many people and the cap is set to rise again by around 5% in January. As a result, there has been a rising appetite to find easy hacks they can use to slash money from their monthly outgoings.

Miss Potter said: “Spending a shorter time in the shower means using less heat and water, but it’s not the only thing you can do to lower your bills. Switching to a more energy-efficient shower head can also make a big difference by reducing the amount of water used without you even having to think. Eco shower heads can cost as little as £20 and will pay for themselves due to smaller bills in no time.”