Cutting back on energy in a busy household isn’t the easiest thing to do so we have put together some of our top tips to help you cut back on your energy bills.

How to save money at home

Majority of people leave their hot water and heating on during day however, this is probably one of the easiest ways to reduce your energy bills drastically. This is especially useful in the warmer seasons of the year when it’s not always needed. A great way to save money in the cooler months is to turn it off for specific hours of the day. The most effective way of doing this would be when the sun is heating up the house, which is a great time to open doors and get the constant airflow going through the house and then turning the heating and hot water back on 20 – 40 minutes before it’s required.

Turn the lights off when you leave a room

Maybe one of the more obvious tips but still one of the most effective is to turn the lights off when you leave a room. A household can save between £50 – £90 a year just by turning off a light when the room isn’t occupied. With the energy bills decreasing dramatically, the amount a household also spends on lights bulbs will be reduced in a year as well since with them being on for less amount of time it will expand their life.

So, if you’re looking for a quick and easy way to reduce your energy bills slightly this is definitely something to consider.

Energy saving lightbulbs

Switching your light bulbs to an energy saving type are a cost effective and energy efficient decision to make since they can last around 3-25 times longer and typically use around 25-80% less energy than when in comparison to a normal light bulb. By changing all your light bulbs in your house to energy saving ones you’ll be saving around £75 annually.

Install a smart meter

A smart meter with an in-home display or energy monitor can help you save energy by increasing awareness of energy use. The UK Government estimates that a display or monitor could help a household’s electricity use by 2.8% and gas use by 2%.

Insulate your boiler

Simply switching from an uninsulated boiler to putting an insulated jacket around your boiler could potentially save you up to £150 a year. As well as insulating your boiler as an effective method of energy saving, insulating the pipes between the cylinder and boiler is a smart move to make! This can help save up to £10-20 per year and is extremely inexpensive. With both, a good quality boiler jacket and pipe insulation costing very low amounts you’ll see the energy saving benefits within a couple of months!

Switch off radiators when they’re not in use

Switching off radiators when you aren’t in the room, again is a simple but effective technique when wanting to save energy. Switching off radiators in rooms which aren’t used regularly and closing the doors helps to trap in heat and cold air doesn’t seep into the rest of the house.

By turning off radiators in rooms it allows the boilers to work quicker and more effectively leaving the house warmer than before. Another benefit to having less radiators on at one time is that the gas usage rapidly declines meaning you save money on a lower consumption of hot water and gas!

Only boil the water you need

Heating water uses a lot of energy and when overfilling the kettle, it takes longer to boil which accumulates to a higher energy bill annually. Decreasing the amount of water each time to you boil it to use only the amount you need, you’ll notice your energy bill dropping, saving you up to £20 a month.

Only start your dishwasher when it’s completely full

A dishwasher has been proven to be a very energy efficient household appliance but only when used effectively. When a dishwasher is on up to 80% of the overall energy is used to heat water. The best way to get the most of your dishwasher is to wait it’s completely full and then put it on. This allows more to be done in a load and the energy consumptions drop.

Skip the tumble dryer and hang your clothes outside

Drying your clothes outside instead of using a tumble dryer can save you roughly £30 a year as well as decreasing CO₂ emissions. Did you know if everyone in the UK line dried their clothes in the summer months £375 million a year would be saved and cut the electricity emissions by 2600 GWh?

Tumble dryers are one of the most expensive appliances to run in your home so when there’s a chance to decrease your usage, do!

Air seal your home

Reducing the amount of air that enters and leaves the house through gaps and cracks cuts the heating and energy bills while creating a healthier and more durable indoor environment.

Tighter sealing and an upgrade on insulation is the best way to defeat air loss in your home and with 15-25% of heating being lost in the winter months, this is definitely something to consider with colder seasons fast approaching.

These are the best 10 top tips we have for cutting back your energy bills and living a greener life! With some of these being such little changes to your daily routine and lifestyle you’ll notice the benefits of using less energy in no time!