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Energy Efficiency Tips & Advice
Where could you save energy?
Heating & Controls
Almost half the money spent on energy bills is absorbed by heating and hot water costs.
Installing a room thermostat, a programmer and thermostatic radiator valves and using these controls efficiently could save you between £75 and £155 a year. Turning your heating down by just one degree could save up to £80 a year.
Smart thermostats can make your heating more efficient by only warming the rooms you are using. They allow you to control your heating remotely via a mobile app, meaning that you can also manage the temperature of your home from wherever you are, at whatever time of day.
Wall & Loft Insulation
Insulating your walls and roof can stop heat escaping from your home.
While insulating your loft can cost several hundreds of pounds, it can also shave around £135 off your energy bills each year if you live in a typical semi-detached house.
New Boiler & Hot Water Cylinder
You can save energy by upgrading your old boiler to a new A-rated condensing boiler with a programmer, room thermostat and thermostatic radiator controls. Based on fuel prices in March 2019, a detached house upgrading from a G-rated boiler could save around £300 a year.
Fitting a hot water cylinder jacket will insulate the tank and the reduced rate of heat loss will help maintain the water temperature in the tank for longer. Heat loss from the tank can be reduced by over 75%, saving around £40 per year on your energy bills.
Using your Shower
If you’ve got a shower that takes hot water straight from your boiler or hot water tank (rather than an electric shower), fit a water efficient shower head. This will reduce your hot water usage while retaining the sensation of a powerful shower.
A water efficient shower head could save a four person household (eg a family of four or even a shared student flat) around £80 a year on gas for water heating, as well as a further £120 on water bills if they have a water meter.
Spending one minute less in the shower each day will save around £8 off your energy bills each year, per person. With a water meter this could save a further £12 off annual water and sewerage bills. If everyone in a four person family did this it would lead to a total saving of £80 a year.
Kitchen & Utilities
Use a bowl to wash up rather than a running tap and save £30 a year in energy bills. Only fill the kettle with the amount of water that you need and save around £7 a year.
Cutback your washing machine use by just one cycle per week and save £5 a year on energy, and a further £7 a year on metered water bills. Washing at 30 degrees rather than 40 degrees can help reduce your energy usage.
A+++ washing machines, dishwashers and fridge freezers could save a combined £100 per year compared to older models.
Windows, Doors & Draughts
Insulated external doors and double glazing insulates your home from the cold and helps reduce your heating bill, as well as keeping the noise out. If your semi-detached home is entirely single glazed, you could save as much as £110 a year by installing A-rated double glazing.
Professional draught-proofing of windows, doors and blocking cracks in floors and skirting boards can cost around £200, but can save up to £25 to £35 a year on energy bills. DIY draught proofing can be much cheaper. Installing a chimney draught excluder could save between £20 and £25 a year as well.
Lighting
Turn your lights off when you’re not using them. If you switch a light off for just a few seconds, you will save more energy than it takes for the light to start up again, regardless of the type of light. This will save you around £13 on your annual energy bills.
You can now get LED spotlights that are bright enough to replace halogens, as well as regular energy saving bulbs (‘compact fluorescent lamps’ or CFLs). They come in a variety of shapes, sizes and fittings.
If the average household replaced all of their remaining old-fashioned bulbs with CFLs, and all of their halogens with LEDs, it would cost about £100 and save about £35 a year on bills.
Appliances on Standby
Turn appliances off at the plug to save an average of £30 a year.
Almost all electrical and electronic appliances can be turned off at the plug without upsetting their programming. You may want to get a standby saver which allows you to turn all your appliances off standby in one go, or you may use plug sockets that can be turned on and off via your phone, to make sure you switch unused appliances off. You could use cheaper timer plugs to schedule turning appliances off.
Your Energy Supplier
Understand your bill. The information on a typical energy bill can be confusing, but understanding it can go a long way to helping you get to grips with your energy use. Shop around for the best deal and you will be surprised at how much you can save.
Ask for a Smart Meter to let you track your consumption with accurate and real time. Keeping an eye on your consumption levels can help you decide if and when you have to change the way you use energy.
Take Advice from the Experts...
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