There are many ways you can start to save energy around the home. These tips can help you to save money, save energy and lower your carbon footprint in one go! If you follow these simple steps you can save over £300* a year off your fuel bills, that's almost £3 billion across the UK if we all take action.
One of the most important things you can do is consider replacing your boiler if it is over ten years old, with one that is more efficient. This will have the benefit of lowering your heating bills and reducing your impact on the environment. However there are plenty of things you can do straight away to save energy and lower your bills.
Also by following the energy tips below means you will be lowering the energy you use from fossil fuels, which release greenhouse gases into the atmosphere. These are the gases that cause climate change - follow these tips and we could all save 13million tonnes of CO2 a year.*
Don't leave appliances on standby
If you leave your television on standby, it's still using electricity even though you think it's switched off. By turning it off at the switch you could save money - the average household wastes £37 a year by leaving appliances on standby (source: energywatch, the gas and electricity watchdog).
Replace your old boiler
If your boiler is over ten years old you might want to replace it for one that is more efficient. Replacing your old boiler with a high efficiency condensing boiler as well as a full set of heating controls could save between £190 and £230 a year, according to the Energy Saving Trust.
Only boil as much as you need
When using your kettle you could save energy by only boiling the water that you need. An easy way to do this is fill the cup you are going to use and then pour this into the kettle. Make sure you add a bit to allow for evaporation and be sure to cover the element if you use an electric kettle.
Turn the thermostat down
By turning your thermostat down by 1oC you could cut your heating bills by up to 10 per cent (source: Energy Saving Trust).
Use energy efficient bulbs
Energy efficient bulbs last 10 times longer than ordinary bulbs. energywatch estimate that for every energy efficient bulb fitted could lead to an annual saving of £9. They believe that if every UK household installed just one bulb we'd save over £80 million per year and enough energy to supply all the street lighting in the UK! And don't forget to switch off lights when you leave a room too.
Tumble dryer
Not using your tumble dryer during the warmer months of the year could save you around £10* a year.
Hot water tank
Lag your hot water tank and insulate hot water pipes. Tank jackets cost from just £12*, they're simple to fit ad could pay for themselves in 6 months.
Insulate your loft
Why not top up your loft insulation? Did you know that the recommended depth is 270mm? Cavity wall insulation and topping up your loft insulation in your home will not only reduce the heat escaping from the roof and walls - it could also save you up to £180* per year.
New appliances
Buying a new appliance? Look for those that are Energy Saving Recommended - they are much cheaper to run. You can find more details here.
ACT on CO2
Baxi is working in partnership with ACT on CO2, to find out more click here.
Downloads
Download a leaflet full of energy saving tips from ACT on CO2
External links
Which? - energy saving tips
*All statistics provided by DEFRA based on CERT calculations and relate to an average 3 bedroom semi-detached home. For calculating over all savings to the UK it has been assumed that all households with less than 150mm loft insulations would top up their insulation, all houses with empty but fillable cavities would insulate them, all housed would stop using standby, and CFLs (energy saving light bulbs) would be used in all suitable fittings. All figures correct at time of going live (March 2009).
