HOUSEHOLDS could be wasting hundreds of pounds a year because they're missing a simple cleaning trick.
It's limescale build-up - which could be costing as much as £468 a year through extra energy consumption.
With the cost of living constantly rising, bill payers are looking for ways to avoid spending more on their energy than necessary.
But limescale around your home could be adding to bills.
Limescale is when the calcium carbonate inside hard water - which is what 60% of the UK drinks - builds up and sticks to pipes and equipment, creating a barrier for heat to transfer.
It means that every time you switch on the hot water your boiler needs to work harder to heat up the layers of limescale on your heating elements before it can heat the water, which uses more energy.
Samantha Mant, limescale expert and boss of Halcyan Water Conditioners, says every 1mm of limescale on any heating element adds 7-10% to its energy consumption.
She said: "Let's say, conservatively, you've got 3mm on your heating element.
"Every single time you go to switch on the hot water and supply your bath or your shower, your poor hot water element has to heat to a higher temperature and for longer to heat up the limescale before it can heat the water.
"That's where that extra energy is going because it has to heat all of the limescale before it can heat the water - and at 3mm it's burning about 25% more energy than it needs to."
Samantha says getting rid of limescale inside pipes could save between £311 and £468 a year, depending on a few factors.
Of course, how much money this can save very much depends on the size of your house, how much energy you normally use and how much limescale build-up there already is.
For example, a new build house is more likely to have only 1mm of limescale because it's a naturally building and growing process.
But an older property can have up to 11mm in some areas.
Samantha also says many end up throwing out white goods like washing machines and dishwashers because limescale affects their performance. Instead, it could be cleaned off.
She says: "If you talk to someone in the hard water area I regularly hear them say, 'Yeah, I had to throw my kettle away after six months.' Or 'My dishwasher dies after three or four years.'
"Well, that's insanity. It's incredibly bad for the customers' pockets - having to replace expensive white goods on a regular basis - but it's also incredibly bad for our planet."
How to tackle limescale
When you're looking to clean out limescale from your home, you may need to get a professional in depending on whether you want a long-term fix.
For a quick fix, you can use white vinegar to scrub limescale off your kettle, for example, which costs as little as £1.50 from Wilko.
Emily Seymour, Which? energy editor, said: "Limescale dissolves easily with a mild acid, so using something like ordinary white distilled vinegar from the supermarket is an excellent and inexpensive way to get your kettle clean and sparkling again."
This will also work on your washing machine - run an empty, regular cycle on the hottest setting (a minimum of 60ºC).
Then add around 250ml of white vinegar to the detergent tray.
Whilst waiting for the cycle to finish, clean the exterior of the machine with a white vinegar cleaning solution and a cleaning cloth.
Tony Jones from Harvey Water Softeners previously told The Sun that white wine can also work wonders on limescale in the shower.
Just scrub with a squeegee and much of the limescale should remove itself for a short period.
Do keep in mind for long-term fixes you'll need to fork out upfront costs, but it'll serve a longer purpose.
The choices for a more permanent fix are usually between salt softeners, inhibitors and conditioners to install at the mains water supply - often under your kitchen sink.
However, Samantha says it costs "usually over a grand" to install salt softeners and, as well as inhibitors, they're not the best option to protect the environment.
Instead, you're best to opt for a conditioner, because there are no ongoing costs and you don't need to constantly top up your installation with salt.
Conditioners only need to be installed once every five to 10 years, and it should cost roughly £200 to have a plumber do so.
This is on the cheaper end, keep in mind. You can splash out more to have the conditioner last over 30 years, but this will cost you on average £800.
But you can get in touch with a plumber who might recommend your best options if you're not sure.
How else can I save on energy bills?
There are plenty of simple changes you can make around the house to ensure you're keeping those bills down.
For example, if you switch to spin cycle on the tumble dryer, it could slash a whopping £53 off your bill.
That's because the setting uses recycled hot air so the machine doesn't work as hard as it normally would.
And it's just as easy to save on the washing machine - simply pressing eco mode could save you £63 a year.
And you might not have paid attention to the flow rate on your boiler before. As it happens, adjusting it so the temperature is lower could save you £112 a year.
You just need to tweak the heating thermostat on your combi boiler to reduce the flow temperature through your radiators.
And as for simple mistakes you might be making, make sure you never overfill the kettle, because it could add a whopping £87 to your yearly bill if you do.
For more more tips and mistakes to avoid, please read our story here.
