With all the cooking, washing and socialising that goes on in the kitchen, there's little wonder that we use a fair deal of energy in this particular room on a daily basis.

However, although heating, lighting and water are integral to the kitchen, homeowners don't need to resign themselves to hefty energy bills, as there are a few simple ways to cut energy costs without compromising your lifestyle.

Basic rules such as remembering to turn off kitchen taps and flick the light switch when leaving the room are essential to bear in mind, but even greater savings can be made through some quick and easy home improvements.

And, according to sustainable development manager for Legrand Alastair Ramsay, one of the best ways to see pounds drop off your energy bills is to install controlled lighting in your home.

"At its most basic, replacing a switch with a modern dimmer will save energy and allow the user to adjust the light to a more comfortable level," he says.

"Linking several dimmers together introduces the ability to set different lighting scenarios conveniently and provide even greater savings. Adding a presence sensor enables even greater energy savings thanks to the system's ability to either dim or turn off lights when no one is present in a room."

Being able to fully control the levels of illumination in your kitchen is not only energy efficient but it has the added benefit of enabling you to set the atmosphere of your interior as you choose.

Which means that while you're chopping and dicing away making dinner of poring over piles of homework with the kids you can enjoy a brightly-lit interior, but later in the evening when you're relaxing with your partner or socialising with friends you'll be able to dim the lights to create a more relaxing vibe.