Tip 1 Insulate your loft
Up to a quarter of heat is lost through the roof due to inadequate insulation. Insulating your home is a cost efficient way of keeping heat in and energy bills down.
Loft insulation alone could save you approximately £175 per year, equating to an average saving of around £6,000 over its lifetime~.
The recommended amount to insulate your loft properly is 270mm. Any less and you’re losing energy through your roof. Fitting insulation is easy and doesn’t cost the earth.
To ramp up energy savings consider cavity wall insulation in addition to loft insulation.
Tip 2 Fit a jacket to your hot water tank
Treat your boiler to a new winter jacket and avoid any unnecessary chills and bills this winter...
Fitting a British Standard ‘Jacket’ around your cylinder could cut heat loss by over 75%~, keep your water hotter for longer and reduce your heating bills.
If you already have a hot water tank jacket, check it’s the recommended thickness of 75mm. If not, investing in a new one will cost around £15 and could pay for itself in just a few months.
Understanding some easy solutions around how you can be more energy efficient will not only help the environment, but also keep some extra pennies in your pocket too.
Tip 3 Switch Off unused appliances
One of the biggest ways you can be more energy efficient is to evaluate how you use energy in your home. You could make significant reductions to your energy usage and bills by switching appliances off or turning them down.
Simple solutions can make big energy savings. Turning down your heating by 1 degree could save you approximately £60 a year~.
Tip 4 Keep the heat in
Keeping the heat inside will stop the need to have your heating on for longer and help to be more energy efficient.
One of the cheapest ways to save energy is to stop draughts. If you can feel cold air then warm air is escaping. Draught excluders for windows, doors and letterbox brushes can stop biting winds cooling down your toasty temperatures.
Turn down the heating by just 1 degree and you could save up to £60/year. Adjusting radiator controls will avoid overheating rooms that don’t need it. The optimum temperature for your home is 21 degrees for living rooms, 18 degrees for bedrooms and 16 degrees for hallways.
Thick curtains prevent warm air escaping from the windows at night keeping your house hotter for longer.
Tip 5 Fit energy Efficient light bulbs
Typically 8% of your annual electricity bill is spent on lighting your home which provides a great opportunity to find ways to be more energy efficient.
A simple and cost-effective way to save energy in your home is to fit energy efficient bulbs~.
If you replace a traditional light bulb with a compact fluorescent bulb of the same brightness you could typically save around £3/year, of £55 over the life of the bulb~.
If you replace a 50W halogen downlighter with a 6W LED you could typically save around £4 per year, or £70 by the time you have to replace the bulb.
Energy efficient bulbs are inexpensive to buy and widely available in a variety of shapes and shades to suit your home.
Tip 6 Switch Off standby
Appliances left on standby like mobile phones, laptops and iPod chargers still use energy to keep them powered down. Simply switching off and unplugging items on standby is a great way to be more energy efficient.
Larger items like televisions will consume more power, so if you can switch it off, you could be in for some big savings. If you remove your appliances from its power cable don’t forget to switch the plug off on the wall, otherwise the chargers can still use electricity.
Tip 7 Regular showers
If a family of 4 replaces 1 bath a week with a 5 minute shower, you could save up to £18 a year on gas bills and up to £21 on water bills (if you have a water meter)~.
A hot shower each day is far more energising and time-saving. At the end of the week why not reward your energy saving efforts with a nice long hot bath!
Tip 8 Keep an eye on your energy usage
One of the easiest ways you can be more energy efficient is to keep an eye on what you’re using and target the appliances using the most energy.
Energy monitors are useful to track your energy usage and highlight wasteful, inefficient appliances. Purchasing one will cost between £50 - £100, which could pay for itself in energy savings over the year~. Energy monitors can be great to help educate your family on energy saving habits, keeping your bills down.
Consider replacing older appliances that drain energy. Main culprits are fridge/freezers, microwaves and television sets. If you have a freezer outside it will typically work harder in variable temperatures and use more energy.
Making the most of each appliance use could help you save money. Filling up your dishwasher and washing machine will mean less usage and lower bills.
Tip 9 Don’t over fill your kettle
It’s the small things that can make big energy savings. Overfilling the kettle is a big energy waster as more water means more energy and time to boil it. Wasted energy boiling an overfilled kettle in just one week can power a TV for a full day.
You can save energy by boiling just the amount you need and save yourselves around 90 seconds in boil time – great if you’re parched for a cuppa. Measure what you need in the cup you drink from and allow an extra half cup on top of the total for evaporation. This will avoid wasting energy boiling water you don’t need.
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