As the cold weather kicks in, many households will start to crank up the heating to keep their homes comfortable.

However, many homes aren’t up to scratch when it comes to the latest energy efficiency measures. Relying on heating alone could send monthly energy bills soaring, says Energy Saving Genie, an online tool that matches UK households with relevant grant schemes.

Around 24 million homes in the UK require retrofitting to become more energy efficient, yet according to the latest figures from Ofgem, only 203,510 projects and measures have been submitted under ECO4 -- The UK Government's Energy Company Obligation scheme – a clear indicator that there’s still a large number of households unaware of the grants they may be eligible for.

Whether it’s insulating a home to prevent heat escaping or replacing an old boiler with a more sustainable model, homeowners shouldn’t be put off by the costs of retrofitting their properties. As Energy Saving Genie is assuring homeowners, in some cases they may not have to pay anything at all.

In as little as 23 seconds, anyone in the UK can visit energysavinggenie.co.uk and check whether they are eligible for a grant, and get matched with a trusted installer in their area who can carry out all the work for them too. “Simple retrofitting measures can easily save homeowners hundreds of pounds every single year, but many people don’t realise they may be eligible for grants that can cover most, if not all, of these costs,” explains Kate Hallewell, spokesperson for Energy Saving Genie.

“There are billions of pounds that have been set aside to tackle fuel poverty, and we want to be there to make sure that homeowners are taking advantage of the support that is available. At Energy Saving Genie, we’ve made it extremely easy for anyone to put in their details and get all the information they could need.

“There really isn’t an excuse to be paying more than you need to in energy bills!” Grant schemes such as the Energy Company Obligation has put aside £4 billion in funding for properties with an EPC rating of E, F or G.

Similarly, the Boiler Upgrade Scheme can provide homeowners with up to £7500 towards the installation of a heat pump. Energy Saving Genie offers a quick and easy way to access all these grants with just a few clicks of a button, providing a simple way for homeowners across the country to cut the cost of their energy bills.