The long summer days are finally over and winter is now on its way with British clocks officially being switched back an hour. It’s getting darker and colder so that means you’re going to start ploughing through more energy and – with prices recently going up – that’s bad news for bills.

Luckily there are some things you can try in a bid to slash your usage including switching off bulbs, adding smart lighting to your homes – which can be set to go dark at certain times – and even dimming the brightness of your TV. Some modern tellies, such as those made by Samsung, have eco modes which do this for you.

“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 on its website.

There is another trick if you have a Sky Q box tucked under your telly. This popular device has a special Eco Mode which pops the gadget into a deep slumber when you are tucked up in bed.

Sky says this setting is recommended as the box then consumes less energy by going into low power mode between 2.30am and 5:45am.

That’s when it’s most unlikely to be being used. Don’t panic if you have set a random programme to record in the early hours as it won’t kick in if it’s due to store something you want to watch.

To switch this on simply Press Home on your Sky Q remote and select Settings, then Setup.

Select Preferences, followed by Standby mode and select the setting you want.

If your Eco Mode is activated and you wake up early, just be aware that it can take a few minutes to get out of this slumber before you’ll be able to tune into content or watch your recordings.

Give these tips a try as although they won’t save you a fortune they will shave some pennies off your monthly bill and that can only be a good thing.

Although it’s good to turn off some devices and your lights at night there is one thing to remember.

Never switch off your router! That flashing black box needs to stay on night and day otherwise it could miss out on vital updates that help keep the Wi-Fi safe and running smoothly.

“We know broadband usage through the day is pretty high so the nighttime moments are when we can send our software updates and downloads to make sure that everything’s working brilliantly,” Amber Pine, Managing Director of Sky Connectivity recently told express.co.uk.

“So keeping your hub on overnight is a really good tip.”