A new study has discovered that people who live in a Victorian home face paying more than �250 extra on their fuel bills.The Energy Saving Trust has compared figures for a three bed mid terrace Victorian and a three bed semi detached new build over a year.

A new study has discovered that people who live in a Victorian home face paying more than �250 extra on their fuel bills.

The Energy Saving Trust has compared figures for a three bed mid terrace Victorian and a three bed semi detached new build over a year.

A gas heated Victorian home with uninsulated solid walls, average insulation, glazing and an average boiler had a �670 gas bill and a �340 electricity bill - with a carbon footprint of 5.0 tonnes of CO2.

The new build has a higher electricity bill at �400 because it is equipped with mod cons, such as an American-style fridge, a TV in master bedroom as a standard and dishwasher but a lower gas bill of �360 because it is well insulated and has a condensing boiler.

Its carbon footprint would also be lower at 3.4tonnes of CO2.

If the trust had compared a Victorian three bed semi with a new build three bed semi, the difference would be greater.

The trust has issued the following advice for Victorian homeowners to help cut their bills:

Stop drafts - block gaps between floorboards and around skirting boards, around poorly fitting sash windows and doors, through letterboxes and keyholes, around the loft hatch and any pipe work that passes through the walls to the outside air and unused chimneys.

Insulation -Make sure the recommended 270mm of loft insulation is fitted and, as many Victorian homes have a suspended timber floor on the ground level, insulate below as well as above.

Free advice is available by calling the Energy Saving Trust on free phone number 0800 512 012.