The latest lockdown leaves millions of us stuck at home and with the temperatures falling, the demand on our energy is greater than ever.

Over half of people on pre-pay meters are worried about the size of future bills, with households also bracing themselves for an £80 a year rise in energy costs from April.

Over half of the prepay energy customers who do not have a smart meter are worried about their energy bills, a survey has found.

Around two-thirds (65%) on a non-smart prepay meter said their spending has increased during national lockdowns caused by the pandemic, according to Smart Energy GB.

Smart Energy is a campaign to help us understand more about smart meters and their rollout across Wales, England, Scotland as traditional analogue meters are replaced.

Around 57% of people on non-smart prepayment meters said that since the latest restrictions they were worried about their energy bills.

If you’ve not seen them before, Smart meters have a display which help people understand their energy spending in “real time”. Theoretically, if you see what you’re using, you’re more likely to have a greater control on your spend.

Fflur Lawton, is head of public affairs for Wales, at Smart Energy GB, she told us…..

“Increased energy bills can be a worry for anyone, but we know there is extra pressure on people with prepayment meters, who tend to be living in more vulnerable circumstances.

“Both prepay and credit smart meters offer the opportunity for people to take control of their energy use and start to understand the changes they could make in order to help them save energy and money at a time when more and more people are living with financial worries and difficulties.”

More than 1,000 people were surveyed across the UK in January.

We’ve been speaking to Fflur to find out more about the survey, and simple ways we can all save money on our energy.

Smart meters bring a wide range of benefits. For example:

• smart meters give you near real time information on energy use – expressed in pounds and pence
• you will be able to better manage your energy use, save money and reduce emissions
• smart meters will bring an end to estimated billing – you will only be billed for the energy you actually use, helping you budget better
• in time smart meters will make switching supplier smoother and faster, making it easier to get the best deals

There is plenty of information available on the SMART ENERGY GB site. They stress that it’s really important your supplier knows if you are in a vulnerable situation so they can include you on their priority services register. This includes people who are of pensionable age, have children under 5, a disability or long-term medical condition. Being on the register means that you will be prioritised in the event of a power cut and you will receive additional help such as password security or information in different formats.

The GOVUK site also has a simple ‘what are they’ guide to smart meters.