With families spending months at home due to the coronavirus lockdown, energy bills were expected to rise by up to £200 a year.

But with children heading back to school next week, households could save around £104 a year or a combined £11m a week, according to analysis by comparison site uSwitch.

It said the savings come from a significant reduction in TV and gadget use, cooking in the oven, and a fall in the amount of washing up as kids spend up to eight hours a day less at home.

uSwitch research found that using the oven to cook one less meal each school day could save households 80p while three hours less TV time could see savings of 75p.

Cutting back on weekly dishwasher use from 11 to nine loads would save 47p and even switching off a 15W bulb for six hours every school day could cut bills by 7p a week.

But with back to school comes more washing as uniforms need to be cleaned in addition to evening clothes, which uSwitch said adds an extra 9p a week in energy use.

In total, the changes add up to £2 a week per household – £104 a year.

However, switching energy supplier could save billpayers’ even more particularly as this year has seen energy deals at their cheapest level in two years.

Sarah Broomfield, energy expert at Uswitch.com, said: “Families have seen their energy use rocket during lockdown, so the return of children to school will mean a welcome reduction in costs in many households – and one that could help offset the cost of back to school uniforms and other essentials.

“Hours of television and playing on gadgets can significantly increase household bills, while cooking meals and washing up after children all add up.

“The savings will be reduced by the fact that most families will find themselves doing more washing as children wear school uniforms in addition to their casual clothes every day.

“Families who are concerned about their energy bill should check whether they are on their supplier’s default tariff, as they could make even greater savings by switching to a fixed rate deal.”