Room to rent? UK housesharing on the rise due to energy bills and living costs

Taking in lodgers and sharing meals with family and friends are just some of the ways people can bear down on heating expenses

When they finally moved in to their first home together last summer after four years of housesharing, Rosie Macdonald and her partner didn't expect they'd be returning to living with another person so soon. But with rising living costs and concerns over energy prices, in April the couple organised for a housemate to move into their home in Leeds.

We were struggling to keep our heads above water before the increase in inflation," says Macdonald, 27, a senior digital PR strategist at Love Energy Savings, a business utilities and price comparison retailer. While we're good with our finances, I worked out what the increases might be with each cap - my job means I have my ear to the ground in that sense - and calculated how much extra we might need."