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 ideas for some low-cost actions you can take yourself to save energy and cut your bills.

To reduce carbon emissions in your home and lower your energy bills, start by reducing how much energy is lost.

Small changes, big savings

Making these small changes can help you save energy in your home.

• If you reduce the temperature in your home by just 1 degree on your thermostat you will save 10% of your energy use over the year. It is estimated that it could save you over £100 per year for every degree you go without. And don't forget to turn off the heating when you are not at home. It's cheaper to reheat your home than leaving the heating on while you are away (unless you own a heat pump).
• Set your heating system timer to Off when you aren’t at home so no energy is wasted when you are not there to enjoy it.
• Avoid leaving appliances on standby. Your smartphone, kitchen appliances, music and entertainment systems, and other electricals, will all eat up electricity when left on standby. Try to get into the habit of turning them off at the plug to save energy.
• Switch to low energy LED lightbulbs. These can use up to 90% less electricity than incandescent bulbs.
• Switch off lights if you’re the last one out.
• Close the curtains at dusk to stop heat escaping
• Open the curtains when the sun is shining to let the free sunlight warm up your home.
• Draught proof windows and doors (a simple home made draught excluder by the front door and over your letter box will make a big difference). Some 40 per cent of household heat is lost through draughts. Avoid blocking air bricks and ventilation points.
• Fill up washing machines and dishwashers to avoid half loads when you can. Try washing clothes at 30°C instead of 40°C.
• Washing lines and airers are cheaper than tumble driers (Note: If drying clothes inside, open a window, even if for a short while, to let the moisture out).
• Insulate your windows with PVC film - it's low cost but effective.
• Invest in some high quality thermal curtains or fit thermal linings and close the curtains at night to avoid heat loss
• Lighting typically accounts for 15% of electrical demand throughout the home so switch to low energy LED lightbulbs - these can use up to 90% less electricity than incandescent bulbs.
• Electric showers use a lot of energy – try setting a timer to shower in 3 minutes.
• Don’t charge your mobile phone all night and turn off chargers when not in use.
• Make sure your hot water cylinder tank, if you have one, has a jacket for insulation.
• 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.

National Energy Action has a great website full of hints and tips on saving energy and avoiding damp and condensation.

Save energy in the kitchen

• Only boil as much water as you need (but remember to cover the elements of electric kettles). You could also fill the kettle and keep the water in a thermos to save you using the kettle so often.
• Always cover your pots and pans – the water will boil faster and use less energy to heat your food. Put the saucepan lid on when boiling water, or better still boil it in the kettle to save energy.
• Think about using lower energy appliances (i.e. microwaves, air fryers, slow cookers) - research found that an electric cooker costs on average 87p to run per day, while a microwave costs a mere eight pence!
• Do not put your warm food straight in the fridge, or freezer, this will make the fridge work extra hard to try and keep it cold, in doing so wasting a lot of energy; cover your food and let it cool first.
• Try to cook in bulk and freeze your left overs - it will use a lot less energy to reheat than to cook another batch of food from scratch.
• The paper test!  Try the paper test on your fridge: if the door can’t hold a piece of paper when you shut it, the seal could be broken. Which means it’s not working efficiently – and uses more energy just to stay cold.
• Slow cookers: Even though you leave them on for hours, slow cookers tend to use less energy to cook your dinner than using the stove top or oven. They don’t need high temperatures and use around the same energy as leaving on a 60-watt light bulb. Bonus, it’s all in one pot so there’s less washing up.
• Ovens: Have your cooking appliances gone off the boil? Fan ovens can usually be used at slightly lower temperatures than other types as the heat’s circulated around, efficiently heating your grub. But check the fan and door seal are in tip top shape so your oven doesn’t have to work harder to warm your delicious concoctions. Check out these energy efficient cooking tips.

Check your energy consumption around the home

It’s always useful to understand how much energy our appliances use, how much they cost to run, and how they compare against each other. Download the guide below highlighting energy consumption around the home and how much our appliances cost to run so that you can know where you might be able to make savings.

Download the household energy consumption guide

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.

Landlords

There is a legal obligation for landlords to meet the Minimum Energy Efficiency Standards (MEES) regulations. This outlines that privately rented properties must have a minimum Energy Performance Certificate (EPC) rating of E. Also, stayed tuned in for an uplift to EPC C minimum.

The Centre for Sustainable Energy have a guide for landlords to comply with these regulations.

For more detail on MEES and how to make your property more energy efficient visit the Energy Saving Trust.

Find energy grant schemes available to landlords in Horsham District

Park home residents

Park homes have unique energy challenges due to the way they are constructed. The Centre for Sustainable Energy has produced specific energy saving guidance.

Home improvements

The more efficient your everyday appliances, the less energy they use, so the lower your bills should be.  When buying new try to buy those with a high Energy Star rating which use a minimum of 20% less energy.

Home upgrades that could help your energy use include:

• Insulate your hot water tank. It costs less than £20 on average for an insulation jacket, and should cut your energy bills by some £50 per year.
• Install thermostatic valves on your radiators.
• Replace your old boiler with a new energy efficient condensing boiler.
• Consider upgrading your loft, floor and wall insulation and double or triple glaze your windows. Did you know that a quarter of heat is typically lost through roofs? Roof and loft insulation can be installed for around £530 and could save around £350 per year on average.

When buying new equipment for the home bear in mind that every new item produced creates carbon emissions, so it is important to make sure you use it fully before replacing it.

Get more ideas and links to help on our Make your home more energy efficient webpage.

Switch to renewable

In terms of potential cost and carbon saving, switching to a renewable electricity tariff is probably the simplest and most effective thing you can do. The Citizens Advice Energy Comparison website is a good place to start if you’re thinking of switching. If you’ve not switched energy provider for a while and are on a ‘standard variable’ tariff, there’s a good chance that comparing different suppliers and tariffs could also save you some money.

Air-source heat pumps and solar panels are two renewable energy options to consider. Find out more about them on our Make your home more energy efficient webpage.

Financial help to pay your energy bills

If you are struggling to pay your energy bill, help is available.

Visit our Home energy grants and funding page to find out abut cold-weather payments,  grants to help property owners adapt their homes and insulation schemes for low-income households.

Visit our Help with energy costs page to find out about more immediate help at hand for those in crisis facing fuel poverty.