- Turn appliances off rather than leaving them on standby. This could save you as much as £55 a year
- Keep showers short. Having a four-minute shower at most could save your household as much as £65 a year.
- Draught-proof your home to prevent heat loss, saving £40 a year in energy
- Turn lights off whenever possible. Turning lights off when you’re not using them or when you leave a room could save you around £20 a year on your energy bills.
- Have the heating a little lower. Your room thermostat should be set to the lowest comfortable temperature, which for most people is between 18 and 21 degrees
- Wash your clothes and plates at a low temperature. If you have a dishwasher, these will often come with an ‘eco’ setting which uses less water and energy. The same applies to washing machines. You can save around £28 a year from your energy bill by washing your clothes on a 30-degree cycle instead of higher temperatures, and reducing your washing machine use by one run per week
- If it’s time to replace an appliance, choose the most energy efficient model you can. This will save you money in the long run
- Use LED bulbs in lighting. LEDs use a fraction of the energy of traditional light bulbs and last longer too
- Think about making your home greener – renewable technology like solar panels and heat pumps can cut your carbon footprint and could also save you money on your bills. Although these upgrades can be expensive in the short term, there may be funding available in your area
- Contact your energy provider to see if you can get a smart meter to keep a close eye on how much energy you’re using. You may also want to invest in smart devices which self-regulate their energy use and switch off automatically. A smart thermostat can enable you to turn your heating off or down remotely so you’re not using energy when you’re not at home
Find more money saving tips at energysavingtrust.org.uk/energybills
