Create a more energy efficient home

Even with energy bills rising, research from the Citizens Advice and the Energy Saving Trust has revealed that a third of households have not made any effort to reduce their energy use in recent years.

However, by making just a few simple changes, your house can be warmer and you could make significant savings, whilst contributing towards the countrywide goal of a ‘greener’ environment. 

If you are stuck in your ways, or not sure where to start saving money on your home energy usage, these small changes could make a big difference.

Turn your thermostat down by one degree

Dialling your thermostat down from just one degree could save collective households across the UK £800 million. Whilst 46% of the nation believes it to be cheaper to have the heating on all the time, this is not true. You could save up to £150 a year by regulating the temperature.

Change your lightbulbs

It doesn’t take a lightbulb moment to know that switching to energy efficient LED bulbs – or better yet, smart lighting and bulbs that are easy to switch on and off from your phone can create significant savings.

Estimates range from £35 a year to an impressive £940 a year in savings from this simple switch. 

Stop leaving tech on standby

Something we’re all guilty of, and one way both owners and renters can save on bills, it’s an easy change that could save you hundreds of pounds.  This simple swap is switching off unused appliances and devices in our homes. By switching off at the plug, you could save an average of £140 on your annual energy bills this year, while some could save as much as £450.

Whilst you’ll need to keep some appliances on, such as the fridge and freezer, things like televisions, microwaves, smart speakers, and chargers can use energy simply by being turned on at the mains.

Don’t overfill the kettle

23% boil a kettle twice when making a cup of tea. If you boiled what you need each time, you could save £36 a year, based on calculations from the Energy Saving Trust.

Overfilling the kettle is the biggest drain on the nation’s wallet. If we all only boiled the right amount of water it would save £1.1billion!

The cost alone isn’t the only damage, as The Energy Saving Trust has estimated that acting on just these first four energy saving tips alone could save each household £100 a year. But, the ‘green impact’ would be the equivalent of taking three million cars off the road.

Swap the showerhead

According to Npower, 81% of the UK believe showers use less water than baths. Yet a power shower could be using 50 litres of water more than you’d put a bath.

The Energy Saving Trust predicts that a water-efficient showerhead could save a household up to £195 a year. And one minute less in the shower could save you up to £80 annually.

Modern showerheads use current-limiting technology to save up to 40% water usage while showering under normal water pressure. If your showerhead has seen better days, a swap could improve your shower, and your bills. This will cost you around £20-£40, but will save you in the long run.

Install a smart meter

All energy supplies now install smart meters, at no extra cost, to help you keep track of what you are spending. Monitoring your daily household usage will help you be mindful of energy consumption – helping reduce how much we use and therefore costs.

Block draughts

Keep cold draughts out of the house and save on heating bills. A simple draught excluder is a quick, cost-effective way to tackle unwanted winter chills from doors and windows.

Thermal lined curtains are another affordable money-saving system, keeping the heat in so you don’t need to crank up the thermostat.

Bleed your radiators

Not feeling the benefit of your central heating system? You could be wasting money. Check your radiators are in good working order. If the top of a radiator feels cooler than the bottom then it probably needs bleeding to get rid of trapped air.

Learning how to bleed a radiator is surprisingly easy and the whole process only takes 10 minutes. A quick youtube tutorial is all you need.

Check your loft insulation

A quarter of a home’s heat is lost through poorly insulated roof spaces. Check your roof insulation has a depth of between 250 and 270 mm, to make sure you aren’t losing all that precious heat out of the roof.

Sources:

https://www.idealhome.co.uk/property-advice/energy-saving-tips-for-the-home-288124