We’re in the Loop – and are £5 a week better off

says: ‘When I started using the monitor earlier this year it showed we were spending about £18 a week.

‘I was a bit shocked and started unplugging electrical items such as the laptop and television when we weren’t using them.

‘I was particularly surprised how much the electric kettle cost each time we boiled it.

‘So we changed to a whistling kettle on the gas hob. It takes a bit longer but saves a lot of money.

‘All these measures have helped get our bill down to about £13 a week.’

Fiona, from Grimsby, got her monitor free, but it usually costs about £70.

There is a wide range of plug-in monitors available that also display usage for as little as £10. KNOWING exactly how much she was spending on energy on a regular basis inspired Fiona Broadhurst to take action on cutting her bills. And she is doing it without a smart meter. Fiona, 29, who is married to window display manager Andy, 41, and has two children, George, three, and eight-month-old Darcey, started testing an energy monitor called Loop Energy Saver earlier this year. The gadget is attached to standard gas and electricity meters and monitors usage and cost – delivering all the information the couple need on a smartphone app.

It allows householders to set a limit on how much they want to spend each week to help them budget as well as alert them to more competitive energy tariffs.

Fiona, who is on maternity leave from her job in retail,