Home Energy saving tips

Making your home as energy efficient as possible is the best way to reduce your costs and keep your home feeling warmer. Below are just a few low-cost actions for you to save energy, cut your bills and reduce carbon emissions.

Check your energy use around the home

It’s always useful to understand how much energy our appliances use. The guide below allows you to assess energy consumption around the home and how much appliances cost to run so that you can identify potential savings.

Download the household energy consumption guide

Understanding your energy bill

Energy bills are not always straightforward to read, but understanding them helps to check you are being billed the correct amount, that you are not building up debt, if a cheaper tariff is available and highlighting areas to minimise costs.

The Centre for Sustainable Energy helpfully breakdown how to read energy bills and they also explain how to read your gas and electricity meters.

You may wish to challenge your energy bill if you feel you are being overcharged, you have received an estimated bill or see a sudden spike in energy usage or cost. To complain, you will need to gather the evidence, before contacting the customer service team of your energy supplier. You can speak to Citizens Advice if you want support beforehand.

Small changes, big savings

The Energy Saving Trust have identified the 10 most effective simple ways to save money:

• Install draught proofing (even a simple home made draught excluder by the front door and over your letter box can make a big difference)
• Use washing lines and airers instead of the tumble dryer (if drying clothes inside, open a window, even if for a short while, to let the moisture out)
• Reduce shower time to 4 minutes or less
• Avoid leaving appliances on standby
• Make sure your hot water cylinder tank (if you have one) has a jacket for insulation
• Don’t overfill the kettle, use a tap aerator
• Fewer and/or cooler laundry cycles
• Ensure the dishwasher is full for every cycle
• Swap one bath a week for a quick shower
• Turn off the lights, when not required (lighting typically accounts for 15% of electrical demand throughout the home)

More tips

• Reducing your thermostat by just one degree from 22°C to 21°C could save you £90 per year
• Set your heating system timer off when you are away from home. It is cheaper to reheat your home than leaving the heating on (unless you own a heat pump)
• Switch to low energy LED lightbulbs - these can use up to 90% less electricity than incandescent bulbs
• Don’t put furniture in front of your radiators as it blocks the heat.  You should bleed the radiators too as more energy is used when air is trapped inside
• For saving energy in the kitchen check out these energy efficient cooking tips

More energy efficiency information can be found on this Energy Saving Trust webpage. Some of these tips also help to save you water; if you want to find other water savings tip visit Water Wise.

Tackling damp and mould

Damp and mould poses serious health risks, particularly for those with existing health vulnerability.  It is important to heat, ventilate and reduce moist air your home appropriately to avoid damage to your home and health impacts.

Read why it occurs, how it can be prevented and removed in Centre for Sustainable Energy guide.