British Gas, OVO, EDF, EON, Octopus customers handed £542 each for 'two tasks'

UK households are set to be hit with a 10 per cent increase - or a £149 hike - to their energy bills from October 1.

British Gas, OVO, EDF, EON and Octopus customers must check their boilers now before energy bills increase next week. UK households are set to be hit with a 10 per cent increase - or a £149 hike - to their energy bills from October 1.

Adam Clark, founder of My Local Toolbox, warns customers need to service their boiler before the new hike. According to the Energy Saving Trust, if your boiler’s efficiency has dropped by just 10 per cent then homeowners could end up spending an extra £200 a year on heating bills.

And he says bleeding radiators can see you save up to £342.20. Mr Clark explained: “If you notice radiators have cold spots then this means there’s air trapped inside, which prevents warm water from properly circulating. This means the radiator will take much longer than it should to heat up your room.”

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To bleed your radiator, you will need a valve key and a drip tray and a jug or old cloth. It's a good idea, if you need to bleed more than one radiator, to start with the one furthest away from the boiler. If you live in a house split over multiple levels then start on the ground floor before working your way up.

Turn the heating off. This is a common question amongst novice radiator servicers, but its important that the radiator is totally cold before you start. Identify the bleed valve. It is usually on the side of the radiator towards the top. Place your drip catching method of choice underneath it.

Insert the bleed key – If you don't have one a trip to your local DIY store should do the trick – turn anti-clockwise until air starts escaping. You should be able to hear a hissing sound when as it gets out. When water starts to escape, shut the valve back off.

Repeat on all radiators that needed bleeding. Turn the heating back on , checking everything is now working correctly.