Just as the UK is hit by a freezing Arctic blast, energy prices have risen yet again.That means millions of us are facing higher bills right at a time when the heating is being turned up, and lights are left on for longer due to the shorter days.With costs increasing, now is a good time to make some simple changes around the home, as small updates can help reduce those wallet-busting Winter energy outgoings.
A good place to start is your Sky Q box, with this device offering a neat trick that sends it into a deep slumber at night, reducing costs.Read more: Sky and Virgin users lose popular TV channels this week as shake-up confirmed Read more: New Fire TV Stick warning issued as illegal streaming block comes into force Tech news, reviews and latest gadgets plus selected offers and competitions Subscribe Invalid emailWe use your sign-up to provide content in ways you've consented to and to improve our understanding of you.This may include adverts from us and 3rd parties based on our understanding.
You can unsubscribe at any time.Read our Privacy PolicyGet More of Our News on GoogleSet Daily Express as a 'Preferred Source' to get quicker access to the news you value.It's called "Eco" mode, and it can be found in the Preferences section of the settings.
Sky says it's "recommended" that users switch it on, as once activated, the Sky Q box is placed into a low power mode between the hours of 2.30am and 5:45am.Article continues below ADVERTISEMENTThat should be a time when most people are tucked up in bed and don't want to watch TV.Explaining more, Sky said: "This is the recommended setting as the box consumes less energy by going into low power mode between 2.30am and 5:45am.
It won’t go into this mode until any scheduled recordings are complete."Want to check your Sky Q box?To enable Eco mode, press Home on your Sky Q remote and select Settings, then Setup.Select Preferences, followed by Standby mode and select the setting you want.Article continues below ADVERTISEMENTThis isn't the only way to cut costs using technology in your home.
Article continues below ADVERTISEMENTAlmost all TVs, including models made by Samsung and LG, feature so-called "Eco" modes, which can automatically reduce consumption by making simple changes to the display and brightness."If you are looking to save on the electricity and energy that your TV uses, pay attention to the Power and Energy Saving Features of your Samsung Smart TV," Samsung explained."You can reduce energy consumption by changing your power preferences."LG also confirms that its Energy Saving Feature reduces power consumption by adjusting peak screen brightness.Sky introduce new streaming TV 'Sky Glass' in 2021 Switching out older halogen bulbs and replacing them with smart lighting - such as Philips Hue - is also a good idea as these lights are not only cheaper to run but can also be set to go off at certain times and be controlled by you phone.Smart plugs can also help turn off appliances when not in use, and many can even be controlled via smart speakers such as Amazon's Echo.The only thing you definitely don't want to turn off is your Wi-Fi router.These devices should be left on at all times to ensure they receive regular security updates from providers.Switching things off every night can also give off warning signals that something is wrong with the broadband line, even though things are fine.If an Internet Service Provider (ISP) thinks something is wrong, they can end up placing speed restrictions on the broadband, which means you'll get slower speeds."Constantly switching off the hub makes the line look unstable, meaning that your speed may be automatically reduced to improve the reliability of your broadband connection," BT explained.
