Washing machines should never be on during 4 specific hours or face high energy bills

Now that the warm weather is here, many of us will be spending more time relaxing outdoors, whether sitting on the grass or lounging at the beach, which can add a lot to your load. Clothes will dry quickly in the sun, but unfortunately running the more often can lead to much higher

Luckily Allie Ogletree, a expert from , has shared there is a very simple way to save as all you need to do is be careful when you are doing your laundry. Allie explained: "Your washing machine uses the same amount of energy regardless of when you run it. However, depending on your energy provider's rates, you could still save on your energy bills by changing up what time of day you do your laundry."

Many energy companies charge extra if you use more electricity during peak hours, which is when most British households are more likely using to use more energy at the same time.

This often called time of use rates (TOU), and if you want to save money it is best to read your electricity plan to find out what time of say your energy rate will be cheapest.

However, the worse time to do laundry is likely to be the late afternoon or early evening as this is when most people get off work and begin to do chores as soon as they come home.

Allie said: "A common range for peak hours is between 4pm and 7pm So the cheapest time to do laundry for an energy plan with these higher TOU rates would be before 4 pm or after 7pm."

If you are able to laundry before late afternoon then you could save a little bit of money, but as the weather heats up the best time of day to use the washing machine tends to be the morning.

Allie said: "During the summer, it's cheaper to run your washer early in the morning, when your home is coolest and energy demand is lowest."

More people tend to switch fans on in the afternoon to keep cool when the sun is out, which also increases the energy demand and add to your energy bill.

If you take the time to plan out your day and do laundry at the cheapest time in the morning, then you are more likely to save money.

However, the majority of the energy needed to power a washing machine is used to heat the water so you can also cut down on bills by using a cold water wash cycle.

It is important to wash towels, bedding and baby clothes on a high heat of at least 60C to kill germs, but every day clothing like jeans or t-shirts are fine to wash on a colder setting at 30C.

Allie said: "Sometimes using a super hot cycle on heavy duty is necessary to remove stains. For everyday wash cycles, though, avoid using settings that increase your energy consumption and stick with just a simple wash cycle."

Washing machines will also use the same amount of energy no matter how many clothes you wash, so make sure you are always doing bigger laundry loads as this will also help save you a little bit more money.