Not only do we get to insist on putting our power-saving knowledge, passed down the generations, into practice in our homes, we’ll get that extra warm glow from knowing it’s the right thing in every way – morally, financially and planetary because the stats really do add up. Follow the IEA’s suggestions and we could reduce the UK and the EU’s imports of Russian gas by more than 50 billion cubic metres, or over one-third, within a year. Most of the points are for governments to enact – such as shifting energy supplies, etc – but three are for consumers. 

Firstly, swap your gas boiler for a heat pump, then tackle your general energy efficiency (insulate the loft for starters) and lastly, turn the blooming heating down. 

The UK contribution alone doesn’t add up to a lethal blow to Putin as most of our gas comes from the North Sea or Norway. But if turning the thermostat down 1°C can reduce consumption by 2.5 per cent as the IEA proposes, then that would actually amount to a saving of 2 billion cubic metres from Britain alone – which is very roughly equivalent to half the Russian gas we import. Worth a go surely. 

And then imagine the effect across the North Sea, if Germans, who get 40 per cent of their gas from the Russians, follow suit? A power move, you could say.

So what other energy tricks do we pre-Millennials have up our sleeves? Here’s the short list of energy gestures that we can all make, starting immediately. Every one will help prevent us from buying Russian gas. You know it makes sense:

1. Always turn off the lights when you leave the room

Our parents told us, we told our children and now the lesson that was drummed into us along with wash your hands before eating, save wrapping paper, and put leftovers, however small, on a saucer in the fridge, has gone by the board somewhat. The truth is we like to leave lights on all over the place. We have lights for creating atmosphere and lights that we leave on in the hall so it looks welcoming and lights in the garden and extra reading lights we don’t need but we think they look good . We’ve come a long long way from the switcher offers we once were. But what if in 2022 switching off the lights became an ingrained essential habit, like turning off the taps after you use them? And for pity’s sake if you’ve got one of those spotlight-smothered kitchen ceilings (we have) never turn them on again and light a candle or two. So much nicer.

2. Get some LED bulbs

These are approximately six times more efficient than old-style bulbs and they last longer, using 90 per cent less energy.  

3. Bathe with a friend

Or better still, never have a bath again and instead take a shower every so often. You may remember the great washing debate of a few months ago with the likes of Ben and Marina Fogle weighing in to happily confess they don’t do much washing, for eco reasons, and maintaining skin oil balance reasons, and just because we have become a hyper clean culture, hyper cleanliness, as your mother or grandmother would tell you, is unhealthy and leads to fussiness. 

Dirt – or what our parents would call natural dirt, which is anything that occurs in your house that isn’t a chemical leak of some sort – is good for you. It strengthens your immune system and prevents you from becoming allergic to everything and a bit of a limp rag. Not sure how true this is but we who were brought up with the words ‘a bit of dirt never killed anyone’ (ditto a bit of cold, take note) are prepared to go along with it. Note to anyone under the age of 50: a shower should take two minutes. It might easily take one. What you are doing is not showering; it’s hanging out in the shower and it must be called out for what it is – energy abuse.

4. Wash your hair no more than once a week

We’re all aware that we’re over-washing our hair and that the very nice shampoo that costs as much as a haircut is just pouring money down the drain. Ideally do it the 1970s way: fill a sink with hot water and spoon it over your head with a mug. 

5. Don’t boil the kettle all the time

Boiling the kettle eats up about six per cent of all the electricity (6 terawatt hours) a year supplied to British homes, according to Government figures. This, so far as we can see, is a habit that has got out of control since lockdown, when boiling the kettle was one of our designated routine-breaking activities. Even before, the habit of boiling the kettle for one cup of tea was properly ingrained, whereas in previous generations you’d have made a pot a couple of times a day and that would have been that. Note: John Humphrys always makes a flask of hot water at the start of the day apparently to save power, so why not follow his example? And get a teapot.

6. Make a sausage dog draught excluder from scraps of material

You’re probably not going to do this, and it is March so draughts are not the mean chillers that they can be. Still, we get the principle. It’s estimated it costs 12,000 kWh to heat the average house every year. And 3,000 kWh of that is to replace the heat lost through draughts. Don’t turn up the heating because you’re sitting in a draught; fix the draught.

7. Keep doors closed (see ‘were you born in a barn?’) and close the curtains

Again, all this open plan living that we’re so fond of has made us open door happy, but we need to work out where we want to keep warm, turn off the radiators in the places that don’t need warming, and contain it. Simple.

8. Put some more clothes on

Aargh. This is the most frustrating of all the energy-wasting habits in our opinion. Who wants to walk into a room on a cold evening and see a person (teenager, male) sitting there in a T-shirt? That’s a sight that affects most right-thinking adults. Feel cold? Put another jumper on. Still feel cold? Put another jumper on and run up and downstairs.

9. Use the washing machine at 30°C

Research conducted by the Energy Saving Trust confirms that washing at 30°C rather than 40°C reduces your energy consumption by 60 per cent per cycle. Or better still, wash everything on cold. Even better, get a grip of your clothes washing habits: you know that tiny dark wash you put on last night because you fancied wearing that nice top (eldest daughter)? Don’t put on any more tiny washes, ever; wait until you’ve got a fat load, and next time hang your top out of the window to ‘air it’. 

10. Get that washing line out

Electric clothes dryers account for five per cent of household electricity and washing hung out to dry gets really clean if you’re obliged to leave it through a couple of rain showers.

11. Only use the oven when you can fill it up (batch cook)

Or, if this feels like it might defeat you, then never again use it for cooking one garlic bulb. Also, after using your oven leave the door open so the heat spreads into the house. If nothing else this will remind you of your student days and make you feel decades younger. 

Let’s get to it.

Additional reporting: Joe Shute