Top tips to save energy and money around the home
As winter approaches, saving energy and ultimately money becomes even more important. Here are a few tips to help you save energy around the home.
Make sure you turn appliances off at the plug. You could use plug sockets that can be turned on and off via your phone to make sure all unused gadgets are switched off.
Smart thermostats can make your heating more efficient by only warming the rooms you are using. They learn how long it takes to heat your home, so they can have it at the right temperature at exactly the right time. You could also turn your heating down.
Replace old appliances with new ones that have a high energy-efficiency rating. These can save you hundreds of pounds over their lifetime.
Washing at 30 degrees rather than 40 degrees can be a third cheaper, though you should make sure you have the right detergent for this.
Once you have heated your room, keep the curtains closed at night to keep the warmth in, rather than keeping the heating going all night.
Keeping an eye on how much energy you use will help you decide if and when you have to change the way you use energy. Installing a Smart Meter lets you track your consumption with accurate and real time information. Contact your energy provider, who should be able to fit a smart meter and home monitor free of charge.
We have our house lighting on for long periods of time during winter, with old style incandescent and halogen lighting being expensive to run compared to modern LED lights. Therefore, if replacing your lights, be sure to switch to LED versions which will help reduce your electricity consumption.
Winter time means it gets windy outside! Draught-proofing around windows and doors could save you around £20 per year. If you have an open chimney, draught-proofing your chimney when you’re not using it could save around £15 per year.
If you haven’t changed your gas/electric tariff for some time then there’s a good chance you could save money by switching. Why not go online and see if you can save?
There are many schemes and discounts over winter that can help you save money on your energy bills. Some of these include the Cold Weather Payment – when you get money if the average temperature in your area is likely to be zero degrees Celsius or below for seven or more consecutive days – and the Winter Fuel Payment which is between £100 and £300 for those born on or before 5 April 1954.