Scientists tell Claire Byrne Live how to save up to €1,000 on energy costs

A number of experts joined Claire for the show.

Last night's episode of Claire Byrne Live was dedicated to covering the cost of living crisis, which has seen rising energy bills in recent weeks. A number of experts joined Byrne on the show to offer tips and guidance on how to save money. Among them was Dr Paul Deane from UCC's Environmental Institute who offered two tips that could both help people save €500 on their bills. His first advice was to lower the thermostat temperature from 21C - which is the Irish average - down to 18C. Dr Deane did note, however, that this may not be doable for every household, particularly for households with older people and the vulnerable. He also advised those looking to lower their bill to consider alternatives to driving when making shorter trips if possible. He noted that 40% of the petrol and diesel used in cars is for trips that are less than 8km. He said: "If we can avoid maybe one in every five of those trips by either cycling a little bit or remote working, or taking turns bringing the kids to school you could save yourself another €500 there." Another expert, mechanic Aoife Murray told Byrne that smoother driving requires less petrol. She said: "Driving smoothly and not aggressively is going to save you petrol or diesel. Harsh braking and accelerating, you would see your fuel gauge go down driving like that." The mechanic also urged viewers to maintain their cars properly, to check their tyre pressure and to reduce the weight of their boots. Byrne also spoke to Phil Smyth, a scientist from UCD Discovery, who said that we can save money by reducing the temperature with which we wash our clothes. He said: "If you're washing a lot of stuff at 40C, if you reduce that to 30C you are saving on average 30 to 40 per cent of the energy costs on it. Over the course of a year that could translate to about €200."