Practical Ways to Save Energy at Home and Lower Bills

Now that autumn has begun and the weather has cooled, we’re all tempted to turn on the heating more often. To combat energy costs, it makes sense to try to reduce electricity and gas usage—without sacrificing comfort. We’ve collated some practical, easy-to-follow tips that can help you save energy and cash as the colder months approach.

Small changes around the home add up. According to the Energy Saving Trust, following just ten efficient habits could save households in Great Britain around £300–£350 per year.

Practical tips to save energy

Quick, no- or low-cost changes

• Draught-proof windows, doors and floors with simple draught excluders or a sealant.
• Turn appliances fully off rather than leaving them on standby. Many devices still draw power when “off-but-on”. Turning off at the plug or using plug-in strips helps.
• Keep heating controls and the boiler maintained, so they run efficiently.
• Reduce shower time or swap a bath for a shower. Using less hot water saves gas and electricity. Having a quick, four-minute shower makes a noticeable difference.
• Only boil as much kettle water as you need when you’re making tea and coffee.
• Fill your dishwasher / washing machine before running, use eco settings and/or wash at lower temperatures. The machines will run more efficiently when they’re full, while lower-temperature washes and eco modes help too.
• Turn down radiators in rooms not in regular use.
• Close curtains and blinds at dusk. This helps keep heat where you need it, and reduces loss through windows.
• Switch lighting to LED bulbs. If you haven’t made this change already, you’ll find that LEDs use far less electricity and last longer.

Medium-term or investment changes
Investing in more changes at home now could mean great savings in the longer term, reducing heat loss and lowering gas bills.

• Insulate hot water tanks / exposed pipes / radiators. You could fit a jacket to your hot water cylinder; add insulation to pipes or consider radiator reflector panels.
• Turn down boiler flow temperature (for combi boilers). Many boilers are set higher than necessary. Reducing flow temp to ~60°C (if safe and suitable) improves efficiency.
• Acquire smart controls / smart thermostat. Using programmable or learning thermostats lets you better match heating to when it’s needed. These can be linked to an app on your phone, meaning you can adjust the heating even when you’re not at home.
• Improve insulation (loft, wall, floor, glazing). These reduce the amount of heat leaving the home, so that your heating doesn’t have to work as hard.
• Check Energy Performance Certificate (EPC) and plan upgrades. EPCs show where a home is less efficient, and suggest improvements, which is useful for budgeting and understanding what make-overs will bring results.

By adopting even a handful of the tips above, you could make your home more economical to run as well as greener, without compromising on comfort.

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