Brits are being urged to pick up a simple 99p tool that could save them almost £350 on their energy bills this winter.

Energy bills are set to rise by £149 for the average household from October after Ofgem announced it would be raising its energy price cap.

The new price cap figure will be £1,717 from October 1, up from £1,568 previously.

The cap does not set the maximum a household will pay for their energy but limits the amount providers can charge them per unit of gas or electricity, so those who use more energy will pay more.

However, purchasing a radiator bleeding key for as little as 99p could help you save up to 20 per cent on your energy bills according to experts.

Mitchell Wray, home heating expert at National Insulation Supplies, explained: “There are often household maintenance tasks that can be neglected or forgotten, and for lots of Brits bleeding your radiators might be one of them.

“Lots of advice often is focused on the central heating and boiler itself, but often money is wasted by not checking your actual radiators, and in some cases, can impact your overall central heating.

"Bleeding your radiator means freeing air that has become trapped in your radiator. This is a problem because the radiator won’t heat up as effectively. Your boiler needs to use more energy to fight the air, costing you more money”

How to bleed your radiators

Step 1: Gather up the tools you’ll need

The first step is to source all of the tools that you’ll need to complete the job.

These are likely to include…

  •  A radiator bleed key
  •  An old towel

Step 2: Make sure the heating is turned off

It’s important to do this before you start, as you don’t want any scalding water to drip onto your hands during the next steps. If you’ve recently had the heating on, wait at least two hours for everything to cool down.

Step 3: Put down a towel

Put a towel down under your radiator to collect any water that may drip out, or you can use a bucket if you prefer.

Step 4: Turn the valve

Use your radiator key to turn the valve. This is usually located in one of the corners.

You will hear trapped air escaping – it will make a hissing sound.

Step 4: Wait until you see liquid

Keep the valve open until the hissing stops and you start to see water dripping out, then tighten it up again

Step 5: Test it

Put your heating on for a few minutes to test if your efforts have paid off. Your radiators should be warm throughout, with no cold patches.