UK households should follow a clever 4.45pm rule from next Sunday, October 25, in a bid to help manage their energy bills. As the evenings get darker and the days get colder, more and more households across the UK are switching on their heating. And bills are expected to be higher for the average household this winter following Ofgem’s recent energy price cap announcement, confirming an increase of 4% that took effect at the beginning of the month. Households are urged by personal finance experts to adopt clever habits that can help them reduce the amount of heating they need.

One of them is making sure that their blinds and curtains are closed at a certain time. Martin Lewis previously shared this hack, urging households to have their windows and curtains closed before it gets dark.

The clocks go back in the UK on Sunday, October 25. That means that it will get darker earlier.

In some areas of the UK, the sun will begin to set as early as 4.45pm. That means that 4.45pm is a good time to aim to get your curtains and blinds closed.

It might seem like quite a random daily habit, but there is a simple science behind it. During the day, you want to let natural sunlight into your home to help warm it up.

Then, in the evening, you want to trap that warmth by closing your blinds and curtains. Of course, you will still need to turn on your heating throughout winter, but this hack aims to reduce the amount of time your heating needs to be switched on by taking advantage of the natural warmth your home could get from daily sunlight.

The rule works best if you have energy-efficient curtains in your home, including thermal or lined window coverings. These help to keep the heat in after the sun has gone down.

“I know we all know that, but doing it rigorously can help insulate, especially if you line it with a fleece,” Mr Lewis said last year. “There are lots of tips online on how to do that, and really cheaply do it yourself.”

The recent energy price cap increase means the typical household will pay £1,723 a year for people who aren’t on a fixed tariff and pay by Direct Debit in England, Scotland and Wales. It’s up from the £1,663 cap that was in place, an increase of 4%.