If there’s one thing we all have in common, it’s wanting to pay less on bills. Energy bills can come as a nasty shock a lot of the time, and sometimes the figures are enough to make your eyes water! If you’re looking for savvy ways to save on your energy bills, read on.
Insulation
Often the first port of call is to make your home more energy-efficient. One of the best ways to do this? Insulate your home. Without proper insulation, your home could be losing half of the heat you pump into it. It’s vital to insulate the loft and the walls, to stop heat from escaping from these critical areas. Insulating the walls properly can also help to keep your home cooler in summer.
There are smaller things you can do to insulate your home, too. Try fitting draught excluders around exterior doors and the letterbox. You can get a keyhole cover fitted if necessary. For internal doors, like the one to your bedroom, you could invest in knitted draught excluders to place in front of the door. Heavy curtains can also prevent heat from escaping through the window panes. Be sure to have any cracks or crevices around the window frames filled with putty, too. You might also want to upgrade your windows, especially if they are single glazed. This isn’t just an energy concern, as having well fitted, modern windows is a staple of home security, too. By fitting double glazed windows, you could save up to £120 per year, according to the Energy Saving Trust, so it’s well worth the investment. It doesn’t have to cost too much to get all your windows modernised. Double glazing funding is available, so it’s worth checking if you’re eligible.
Upgrade your boiler
It might be worth upgrading your boiler and other appliances to save on energy. Did you know that heating accounts for 55% of your annual energy bill? A modern, condensing boiler can help you to save money because it is far more efficient. However, if your boiler is still relatively new, it may not be time to replace yet, and it might not represent a good saving for you to do so. According to the Energy Saving Trust, if you have a large family and use a lot of hot water, a regular boiler is a good option. Whereas, if your household is smaller, you might find a combi boiler more suitable. The latter isn’t compatible with solar water heating, however, which is worth considering if you’re looking to install a solar heating system in the near future.
Install solar panels
This isn’t an option for everyone, but if you can afford to and think it’s a wise investment, you could fit solar panels. To install panels on the average home costs around £6,200, but once they’re up and running, they could save you up to £240 per year. This figure depends on variables like where you live and how often you’re at home. Despite the high installation costs, solar panels typically start to pay for themselves within ten years. You can even sell excess energy back to the grid, which effectively gives you even higher savings.
Switching
If you’re paying too much for energy, it’s time to switch! Don’t be tempted to overlook renewables, though. With the climate crisis as it is, many people are making the switch. It’s easy to think that renewable energy will mean sky-high bills, but this just isn’t the case today. In fact, some of the cheapest tariffs around are the eco-friendly options! Bulb offers £50 when you make the switch, and you could end up saving a lot of money over time. Money Saving Expert estimates that you could save an annual average of £300. There are plenty of other options on the market too, so try using a price comparison website to see which options might be best for you. Paying by direct debit can sometimes mean you get a better deal too, so it’s worth seeing if this could save you money.
Use less energy
If you want to slash your bills, the truth is you probably need to re-evaluate your energy usage. One easy way is to dial your thermostat right down. Many households have their heat blazing during winter, but in reality you only need it at between 18 or 19 degrees. The exceptions to this are if any of the residents are elderly, very young, or unwell. Turning your heating won by only one degree is enough to save you £85 per year, according to the energy company Npower. Then there are other habits to get into, like turning off the lights every time you leave a room. You can also make the most of energy-saving light bulbs, which actually last up to ten times longer than your average bulb. These bulbs can save you up to £100 over the course of their lifetime, which is pretty impressive for such a small change to your home.
Other ways you can save on electricity are to not leave items like your computer on standby. Turn them entirely off instead. You can also be wary of the amount of water you use to boil the kettle. Boil just enough for your cuppa, so you’re not wasting energy heating up water unnecessarily. Doing laundry? It’s a great idea to fill your washing machine completely, so you don’t end up doing more loads than you need to. Most detergents now make it perfectly possible to wash at 30 degrees which can save you money in the long run. You might still want to run the occasional hot wash for machine maintenance, though. If you have outdoor space, use the washing line as much as possible. A tumble dryer uses a lot of energy, so it’s not economical or environmentally friendly to use too often. If you have enough space in your home, it might be worth getting a clothes rack so you can hang your clothes to dry even in winter.
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