£1,254 is the average annual household spend on gas and electricity. For most families, energy bills are the biggest monthly expense and they can be tough to manage. If you want to stay on top of your finances, you need to find ways to cut back on your energy bills.
Using energy price comparison sites to find a better tariff is one of the best ways to save, but regardless of the tariff that you are on, you can also save a lot of money if you cut back on your energy use. The good news is, that there are some great energy-saving tips that make it easy to cut back. Reducing the amount of energy that you use is also a good way to reduce your impact on the environment, which is more important than ever.
If you feel that you may be spending too much money on your gas and electricity, this energy-saving guide will help you to make some big savings.
Stop Leaving Things On Standby
This is one of the most common energy-saving tips, and it’s very effective. Even if you think a device is switched off, it may still be on standby and that is wasting a lot of money. However, if you switch devices off at the plug, you can save up to £30 a year. You can make this easy if you install smart plugs that can be controlled via an app on your phone, so there is no danger of leaving things on standby when you leave the house.
Use A Smart Thermostat
Smart thermostats have revolutionized the way that people manage their energy use and they can help you to make some big savings.
A smart thermostat allows you to monitor your energy use and control the heating from your phone. The more advanced models also have learning capabilities, so, once they have been installed for a while, they will automatically switch your heating on and off.
However, it is important that you are wary of some of the manufacturer’s claims. For example, some claim that you can save around £130 per year with a smart thermostat but that figure assumes that you normally leave your heating on constant all day. Which? advises that people that already turn their heating off when they leave the house will not make these significant savings. That said, installing a smart thermostat is still one of the best energy-saving tips because it gives you more control.
Turn The Heating Down
The majority of your gas bill is made up of hot water and heating costs, which is why reducing the temperature is one of the most effective energy-saving tips there is. If you turn your thermostat down by one degree, you can save around £80 over the course of a year. The difference in temperature will not be noticeable, but the difference to your bill will.
Upgrade Appliances
Inefficient appliances use far more gas and electricity than modern ones, so you should consider some upgrades around the house. If you have not replaced your fridge, washing machine, or cooker for a long while, you could make some big savings by investing in a new one.
When buying appliances, you need to check the energy efficiency rating. All appliances and many devices have a rating that ranges from G all the way up to A+++. The majority of modern appliances are at the top end of the scale, but it’s important to check before you buy.
A washing machine with an A+++ rating will use £65 less energy than an A+ one over the course of 11 years. If you make the switch from an old appliance that has a rating as low as a C or D, for example, and replace it with an A+++ rated appliance, the savings will be significantly higher.
Upgrade Your Boiler
If your boiler is old and poorly maintained, it will be incredibly inefficient and your energy bills will be through the roof. Boilers are also rated based on energy efficiency, and the difference between a G-rated boiler and an A-rated boiler is around £300 in savings each year. Although it is expensive to buy and install a new boiler, you will earn that money back in future savings.
Wash Clothes At A Lower Temperature
Many people wash their clothes at a higher temperature than necessary, and this wastes a lot of energy. By reducing the temperature from 40 to 30 degrees, you can make some big savings. Cutting back on the number of washes that you do each week will make a difference as well, so make sure that you are always running the washing machine with a full load. Cutting out one wash per week can save you £5 over the course of a year.
Improve Insulation
A poorly insulated building lets a lot of heat out, which means that you use a lot more energy to keep your home warm. Improving insulation in your home is one of the most effective energy-saving tips and although you may have to invest some money, you will earn it back in reduced bills in the future.
Adding double-glazed windows is one of the most effective ways to improve insulation in your home. If your home is fully single-glazed, you could save up to £110 per year by upgrading to A-rated double-glazing. They are also very effective for noise reduction, so if you live near a busy road, you will benefit further from double-glazing.
Adding loft insulation is another cost-effective energy-saving tip. If you do not have adequate insulation in the loft cavity, you will lose a lot of heat through the roof. However, adding more insulation is relatively cheap and you can easily do it yourself.
This energy-saving guide will help you to find simple ways to cut back on your energy use. However, you can make even bigger savings if you shop around for better deals and switch energy suppliers.