10 Ways to Save Money on Your Energy Bill

As the energy crisis continues and household bills continue to skyrocket, many of us are asking ourselves; how can I save some money? Whether your main goal is to save money on bills or you are hoping to lower your carbon footprint, saving energy is a great thing to do. Lots of us know that we can save money by putting on a jumper instead of cranking up the thermostat, but there are lots of easy ways to save money and energy this winter. Here are 10 of our best tips to save money on your energy bill. 

Sort out those drafts

Draughts in your home are not only annoying, but can be a huge waste of energy. Instead of paying more money to heat your house, fix some of those draughts. Gaps in doors or windows can let warm air out and cold air in. You can fix these with draught excluders, sealants or homemade alternatives. You might want to use a rolled up blanket at the base of your door or fill some gaps with newspaper. Gaps and cracks in floors can also be responsible for heat loss in your home, so make sure you check your floors carefully and fill any gaps with a suitable sealant.

Better insulate your home

A well insulated home is a cheap home to keep warm. It’s as simple as that. The better insulted your home is the less you’ll need to pay in heating bills each month. You can insulate your roof, your cavity walls and even solid walls, put insulation under your floorboards, the better insulated your home is the lower your energy bill. There are even grants and loans available that could help you with the cost of insulation – visit gov.uk to find out more.

Change out your bulbs

This is such a simple way of saving energy. If you haven’t already, switch over all your light bulbs to LED energy saving bulbs. Many LED energy-saving light bulbs have a life of 50,000 hours, which means if you left them on for 12 hours a day they would last you for 11 years. LED bulbs use much less electricity than traditional light bulbs. According to the Energy Saving Trust, switching to LED light bulbs could save your household £35 a year in electricity bills.

Keep your heating under control

Turn down your thermostat just a little. Reducing your room temperature by just 1°C could cut your heating bills by up to 10%. Remember that you can also turn the thermostat on your hot water tank down, to save more money on water and energy.

Wash and dry with care

Unless you have a specific reason to do so, there’s really no reason to be washing your clothes at a temperature higher than 30ºC. Today most laundry detergents will work at temperatures of 30 degrees or lower. That extra heat isn’t making your clothes any cleaner but it is costing you money and using up energy. Around 90% of a washing machine’s energy is spent heating the water. 

Make sure that every time you do washing you are washing a full load and invest in a drying rack so that you don’t have to use a tumble dryer. Not only will air drying your clothes save you energy but it will also mean that your clothes will last you longer.

Switch off and unplug

Try not to leave any of your electrical appliances on standby. If you’re done with your hair dryer, unplug it and switch it off at the wall.  Leaving appliances like TVs, DVD players or changers plugged in can waste energy. Whenever possible switch them off and unplug them. According to the Energy Saving Trust, you can save around £30 a year just by avoiding using your appliances’ standby mode. 

Draw your curtains

Windows can let a lot of heat out of your home, especially if they’re not double glazed. Make sure that in the evenings you would draw your curtains to keep the warmth in and keep the cold air out. Not only will you save energy but it also means that your home feels really cosy.

Cook cleaver

Every time you’ve had your oven every shelf in your oven is getting hot, whether there’s food on it or not. You can save energy by cooking more efficiently, batch cooking your food and using every shelf in your oven.

Once you’re done cooking, open up your oven door and let the heat from the oven warm your house. This way you are warming your home with energy that would otherwise just be removed by the extractor fan.

Have your boiler serviced

If you have gas or oil central heating, aim to have your boiler serviced every year by a qualified engineer to make sure it’s running efficiently. If your boiler is over 15-years-old, it’s probably time for a new and more efficient one. You could save close to £350 a year when you switch.

Don’t block the heat

If you’ve got your radiators turned on and your heating up your house make sure that you’re not wasting that energy. If your radiator is being blocked by a sofa or a bookshelf you’re not going to be getting as much heat as you could from it. make sure that your radiators are clear so they can heat up the room instead of just the back of your sofa.