At a glance

Catherine Storer, a business owner and Commercial Energy Assessor from Nottinghamshire, used ChatGPT to analyse her household's energy consumption, leading to a reduction in her gas and electricity bills by about £50 a month. By uploading photos of her heating controls and energy bills, she received tailored advice on optimising her energy use and switching to a more cost-effective tariff. This approach highlights how AI can assist households in understanding and managing their energy consumption more efficiently, even without specialised knowledge.

A Nottinghamshire business owner and qualified Commercial Energy Assessor has revealed how she used ChatGPT to reduce her household gas and electricity bills by around £50 a month, despite rising energy prices - with her energy supplier even offering a refund after just six months. Catherine Storer, Executive Director of Essential Site Skills, used the artificial intelligence (AI) tool to investigate how her household consumes energy, review the settings on her heating and hot water systems, identify wasted electricity and find a more cost-effective energy tariff. Based on her analysis of household energy costs, Catherine estimates she has reduced her bills by around £50 a month, equivalent to a potential annual saving of £600 if the reduction continues. And as the colder months approach, she says the benefits are continuing.

Using AI to understand the whole house Rather than simply asking ChatGPT for general energy-saving advice, Catherine took photographs of her boiler controls, hot water cylinder controls and room thermostats, uploading them to the AI tool for analysis. She explained when her household needed heating and hot water, and ChatGPT suggested changes to the controls and programming to help make the systems more cost-effective.

“I started by uploading photographs of all the different controls and explaining what we needed from our heating and hot water.

“ChatGPT didn’t just give me a list of tips. It kept asking questions about how the house was heated, when we needed hot water and how everything was currently programmed.

“As I answered the questions and provided more photographs and information, it built up a much clearer picture of how our household actually uses energy. “It then suggested changes to the controls and timings, helping me understand how we could run everything more efficiently.

“Although I’m a qualified Commercial Energy Assessor for ESS Green Skills, what impressed me was how useful AI was in bringing everything together. I could show it what we had, explain what we needed and work through the recommendations until I had a much better understanding of how to run the house.”

Catherine also used ChatGPT to investigate electricity consumption, including appliances using energy on standby, identifying equipment that could be switched off to avoid unnecessary costs.

Finding the right energy tariff But the investigation didn’t stop with reducing energy consumption. When Catherine reviewed her household bills, she discovered that electricity accounted for the largest proportion of her energy costs.

“I uploaded our energy bills into ChatGPT, along with the gas and electricity rates offered by another supplier, and asked it to compare the costs using our actual consumption.

“It helped me identify a supplier offering a much better electricity rate, while the gas rate was only slightly different.

“Rather than simply choosing a tariff because it looked cheaper, I could see how the different rates would affect what we actually paid.

“ChatGPT helped me work through the figures and identify the most cost-effective fixed-rate tariff for our household.”

Saving money despite rising energy prices

By combining adjustments to heating and hot water programming, reducing wasted electricity and switching to a more suitable energy tariff, Catherine has reduced her household energy costs by around £50 a month.

“Over the past seven months, I’ve managed to reduce our bills by around £50 a month, even though energy prices have increased.

“After just six months, our new energy supplier even suggested a refund based on how much energy we were actually using.

“That was particularly encouraging because it showed we were paying more into our energy account than we needed to cover our consumption.

“And what’s even better is that I’m continuing to see further benefits as we move towards winter, when we’re naturally using more heating and hot water.

“I haven’t invested in expensive new equipment or made major changes to the house. I’ve simply used AI to understand how everything works together and make more informed decisions.

“The biggest difference is that I now have a much clearer picture of how to run the whole house efficiently, rather than looking at individual appliances or bills in isolation.”

Could AI help more households cut their bills?

Despite her professional background in energy assessment, Catherine believes her experience demonstrates how AI could help people without specialist knowledge make better decisions about their household energy consumption.

“People often associate AI with writing emails, creating content or answering questions, but it can be useful for so much more. “Most of us know we should check our energy bills and make sure we’re not wasting electricity, but understanding heating controls, hot water programming and different energy tariffs can be quite daunting. “You don’t have to be an energy expert to do this. That’s what makes it so interesting. AI can help people understand their own heating systems, energy bills and consumption in a way they might otherwise find quite complicated.

“What’s so useful is that you can keep asking questions and providing more information. You don’t have to understand everything at the beginning.

“ChatGPT helped me look at the bigger picture, from how our heating works to when we need hot water, what we’re using unnecessarily and whether we’re paying the right rates.

“If you’re already spending hundreds or thousands of pounds a year on energy, surely it’s worth investigating whether you could be paying less?”

Catherine is now encouraging other households to explore how AI could help them better understand their energy consumption.

“Take photographs of your heating controls, explain when you need heating and hot water, look at your electricity usage and check your energy bills.

“Don’t be afraid to ask questions or challenge the suggestions. The more accurate information you provide, the more useful the recommendations can become.

“AI won’t automatically save you money, but it can help you understand your options and make decisions you might never have considered otherwise.”

Editorial insight

While AI tools such as ChatGPT are often associated with content generation and automation, their use in practical, day-to-day problem-solving is gaining ground. This example from Nottinghamshire highlights how consumer-facing AI can support individuals in navigating complex household systems and tariffs, particularly as energy costs remain a concern for many UK households. The approach demonstrates that, beyond general advice, AI can help users tailor solutions to their own circumstances by analysing real data and specific usage patterns.

With energy prices remaining volatile and many households facing cost pressures as winter approaches, there is likely to be growing interest in accessible ways to manage consumption and spending. The practical application of AI in this context may appeal to consumers seeking to make informed decisions without specialist knowledge, especially as suppliers and regulators continue to encourage greater energy efficiency and transparency in billing.

Story ideas and journalist angles

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AI’s Role in Personal Finance: Beyond Basic Automation

This story examines how AI tools like ChatGPT can be applied beyond typical uses like content creation, to assist with personal finance decisions such as energy management. It explores the implications for technology adoption in everyday life.

Target audience technology Story potential 6/10 Consumer trend

Household Savings: A Case Study in AI-Assisted Energy Management

The use of AI by a Nottinghamshire resident to cut energy costs illustrates a growing trend of consumers leveraging technology for personal finance management. With energy prices rising, this practical example offers insights into how AI can assist non-experts in optimizing household expenses.

Target audience consumer-lifestyle Story potential 7/10