Energy Saving Tips

Heating and Insulation

  • Draught proofing - Unless your home is very new, you will lose some heat through draughts around doors and windows, gaps around the floor, or through the chimney. DIY 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. Draught-free homes are comfortable at lower temperatures – so you’ll be able to turn down your thermostat. This could save you another 10 per cent off your heating bill.
  • Take control of your heating - More than half the money spent on fuel bills goes towards providing heating and hot water.Having aroom thermostat, programmer and thermostatic radiator valves installed could save you between £80 and £165 a year.Even turning down your room thermostat by just one degree can save between £85 and £90 a year.
  • Don’t block the heat – Hanging washing over radiators to dry means you’ll block the heat that should be warming up your home. Instead, hang your clothes on a clothes horse and position it near the radiator. Also, take care not to put bulky furniture like sofas and chairs too close to a radiator or they will absorb the heat and reduce efficiency. You could also hang reflective foil behind radiators to stop heat escaping through the wall.

General Energy Saving

  • You can save around £30 a year just by remembering to turn your appliances off standby mode.
  • You can save around £50 a year just by using your kitchen appliances more carefully:
  • 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
  • Cut back your washing machine use by just one cycle per week and save £5 a year on energy, and a further £8 a year on metered water bills
  • Switch to LEDs - You can now getLED spotlightsthat 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.
  • 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 £15 on your annual energy bills.

Saving Water

Each household in the UK uses on average around 360 litres of water every day. But about 21 per cent of a typical gas heated household's heating bill is from heating the water for showers, baths and hot water from the tap. This is on average about £140 a year.

  • If everybody in a family of four replaces one bath a week with a five-minute shower, you can save up to £20 a year on gas bills and up to £25 on water bills (if you have a water meter).
  • If a family of four replace their inefficient shower head with a water-efficient one they could save around £65 off their gas bills and around £100 off their water bills (if they have a water meter) each year. That’s a total saving of around £165.
  • A running tap wastes more than six litres of water a minute, so turn off the tap while brushing your teeth, shaving, or washing your face. Use cold water if you don't need hot.
  • A dripping tap can waste more than 5,500 litres of water a year, so make sure your taps are properly turned off and change washers promptly when taps start to drip.
  • Make sure that dishwashers and washing machines are full before you use them, and always use the most efficient water and energy settings.
  • Using a sink of water to wash up twice a day rather than having the hot tap running could save money on your gas bill and about £30 on your water bill (if you have a water meter). If you need to rinse utensils or wash vegetables, use cold water if possible and don't leave the tap running.
  • Insulateyour hot water cylinder– a well fitted tank jacket could save you around £25 to £35 a year, more if you heat your water electrically. Insulating the hot water pipes will save more energy, and can help your taps to run hot more quickly.
  • Spending one minute less in the shower each day will save around £10 off your energy bills each year, per person. With a water meter this could save a further £10 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.

*All facts figures correct as 2016.

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