The £5 plug-in device that could slash energy bills by £150

Heating bill s are set to jump this winter and with the next one to be the first issued since the energy cap rise came into effect - households across the UK are doing all they can to cut costs.

The UK Government has issued an update on who will qualify for this year’s Warm Home Discount Scheme, following a change in the eligibility criteria and an increase of the payment from £140 to £150. The money is paid directly by the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) to energy suppliers and deducted from electricity bills.

Experts have shared that the type of lights that some use in their homes could be costing them extra money.

The Mirror said the family, which includes five children, abandoned their previous home in Ukraine and eventually ended up in Berkshire in South East England. Upon getting to the United Kingdom, the suddenly-vagabond family was not without its challenges, as they had no money or shelter and didn't speak English.Rod was put in touch with the family and decided to fund them for a year as they settle into new lives in the three-story red-brick townhouse.In detailing his first meeting with the family, Rod told The Mirror, "I walked through the door and they all came running down the stairs, all beautifully dressed in Ukrainian national costume. It was so lovely that they all made that effort.

Sir Rod Stewart has funded a Ukrainian refugee family’s new life in England – finding them a house and paying all their bills. The 77 year old legendary singer rented the three-storey townhouse in Berkshire for husband and wife ­Rostyslav and Olena and their five children, aged between two and 17, after becoming dismayed with the plight of people in the war-torn country. Rostyslav and Olena fled their home in Ukraine with their kids after the Russian invasion – embarking on a dangerous journey over the border and across Europe before finally arriving in the UK.

The Minister for Work and Welfare has said that the UK Government “understands the pressures people are facing with the cost of living” and has taken further “decisive action” to support households with their energy bills. Victoria Prentis MP, also said that the £37 billion in financial support includes up to £650 in cost of living payments, which have been designed to target support at around eight million low-income households on means-tested benefits and older people receiving Pension Credit.

Household electricity bills could be cut by over £400 a year if the October clock change is scrapped, a heating expert has claimed.

Costa Coffee have slashed the price of some of their popular menu items to just £1, meaning shoppers can save up to £1.25 on their order. It comes as many are struggling in the cost of living crisis, and could provide a much-needed winter warmer at an affordable price.

On Monday, new Chancellor Jeremy Hunt said he and the Prime Minister had “reluctantly” agreed it would not be responsible to keep the £2,500 energy price guarantee beyond April 2023. The UK Government support replaced the Ofgem price cap and was originally planned to be in place for two years, until 2024.

Caroline Polachek has today (October 17) shared a new video for her latest single, ‘Sunset’ – check it out below.The song was co-produced by Polachek with Sega Bodega; Polachek also co-directed the song’s Barcelona-filmed video with Matt Copson. She had previously teased the track’s release on Instagram earlier this month.The single follows on from ‘Billions’, which arrived earlier this year and comes just weeks after the musician shared a track written for Kurt Cobain-inspired opera Last Days.Oliver Leith’s Last Days opera is based on Gus Van Sant’s 2005 film of the same name, which was inspired by the missing five days between Cobain absconding from a rehab facility in Los Angeles and killing himself in an outbuilding of his Seattle home.

Jeremy Hunt has announced that help with energy bills for households will only last until April next year. The newly-appointed Chancellor confirmed the decision during an economic statement on Monday (October 17).

Earlier this month, the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) confirmed that by September 30 it had processed almost six million £150 disability cost of living payments to eligible claimants across the UK, worth around £900 million in total.

Ofgem is set to launch a new campaign to help people understand how they can reduce their energy use and bring bills down this winter, the regulator's boss has revealed. Jonathan Brearley said his organisation was working with energy companies to help them assist customers through what will prove to be a tough winter.

Millions of households are facing a challenging winter as the temperatures begin to drop and the daylight hours get shorter. Many people will be putting on an extra layer of clothing instead of central heating this year in an effort to keep energy bills down due to the rising cost of living.

Where, I wondered, should I take a visitor from the Outer Hebrides for dinner?

Caroline Polachek has shared a new track written for Kurt Cobain-inspired opera Last Days.Oliver Leith’s Last Days opera is based on Gus Van Sant’s 2005 film of the same name, which was inspired by the missing five days between Cobain absconding from a rehab facility in Los Angeles and killing himself in an outbuilding of his Seattle home. It is currently being performed at London’s Royal Opera House until October 11.Polachek’s aria, ‘Non Voglio Mai Vedere Il Sole Tramontare’, was produced by Danny L Harle and the title is Italian for “I Never Want To See The Sun Go Down”.

The cost of rail tickets in the UK has sky-rocketed in recent months, proving costly for commuters, students, tourists and shoppers alike. Rising inflation has left customers forking out more cash for standard tickets, with rail travel becoming unaffordable for many.

Stacey Solomon has admitted that she may struggle to pay her energy bills this winter amid the cost of living crisis.