Energy Saving Tips Q&A

While we are confined to our homes, do you have any energy saving tips that could help us reduce our fuel bills?

Yes, there are a number of things we can all do that won’t cost anything at all, but that could help to reduce our energy bills.

Tips for saving money on your heating

Turn your room thermostat down by just one degree and it could save you up to £80* a year.
Only heat the rooms you are using.If you have rooms you don’t use, turn the radiators off or if you have thermostatic radiator valves, turn them right down.
If you have a hot water storage cylinder, turn the temperature down to 60°C/140°F. To prevent the growth of harmful bacteria it should not be lower than this temperature.
Make sure the cylinder is well insulated. Most modern cylinders already have good insulation, but if yours is an older style, and you can see bare metal, a well fitted tank jacket could save you around £20*** a year – more if you use the electric immersion heater to warm your water!
Don’t put clothes on your radiators, or furniture near to them. The hot air needs to circulate around a room, and so blocking the radiators could affect how warm your rooms are.
Close curtains at dusk to help keep the warmth in and the cold out; thermal or heavy curtains will help to stop heat escaping through the windows.

Other top energy saving tips around the home

Turn your appliances off standby – you can even buy a standby saver with a remote control to switch everything off standby at once! Remembering to unplug phone chargers and switch appliances off standby could save around £30* a year.
Using a bowl to wash up, rather than letting the hot water tap run could save £25* on your energy bill and even more if you have a water meter.
Only boiling the amount of water you need in the electric kettle, rather than filling it up and allowing most of the water to go cold again, could save around £6* a year.
Make sure your washing machine and dishwasher are full before you turn them on.Reducing the number of times you use the washing machine by just one a week could save you £5* a year.
Turn off the lights when you leave a room.

Jobs to do in the future

Here are our top tips for saving energy in the future when we can get out and about again:

Draught-proof your home – did you know doors, windows, floors and even key holes can create a draught, letting heat escape from your home? Using draught sealant on doors and windows can really help keep the heat in and the cold out. A draught excluder is also a great way to keep your home warm, and you can even make your own. Full draught-proofing can save you, on average, £20* a year. If you have a chimney, a chimney draught excluder could save a further £15* a year.
Get your loft insulated – it could save you around £200** a year. It’s a simple and effective way to reduce your heating bills.
If you don’t have them, consider installing heating controls.A programmer, room thermostat and thermostatic radiator valves can potentially save you up to £80**** a year.
If your shower uses water straight from a combi boiler or from a hot water cylinder (i.e.it is not an electric shower), fitting a water efficient shower head could save a family of four around £70* a year on gas for water heating, and a further £115 a year on water bills if you have a water meter.

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