How to save energy this winter

Are you looking for ways to stay warm and save money on your energy bills this winter?

With the cost of living at its highest level in a decade, and energy bills currently almost double what they were this time last year, many of us are looking for ways to reduce our outgoings.

Luckily, small changes can add up to a big difference. Here are our tips for saving energy, reducing your energy bills and improving your carbon footprint this winter.

Switch off lights and appliances.

Switching lights off is probably the most obvious way to impact your energy usage. Switching to energy-saving lightbulbs, such as LEDS, is also recommended as they are much more efficient than conventional lightbulbs.

Unplug any appliances and charging cables that are not being used to make sure they are not adding to your bill unnecessarily. According to data from the Energy Saving Trust, turning off electrical appliances rather than leaving these on standby can save up to £65 a year.  

Turn down the thermostat.

Most of us see our energy bills creep up during the colder months as we crank up the heating to keep us warm.

However, turning down your thermostat by just one degree will cut your heating bills straight away. The Simple Energy Advice website claims a one-degree reduction can slash your heating bill by 10%.

You can go one step further and install a smart thermostat, which will allow you to control the temperature of your home remotely and decide how much energy you use through your central heating.

Don’t forget to bleed your radiators: ensuring there is no trapped air inside will keep your central heating system running efficiently.

Ensure sofas or beds aren’t located in front of radiators as this prevents the warm air from circulating around the room.

Insulate your home.

A staggering amount of heat can leak from our homes if they are insufficiently insulated. According to the Energy Saving Trust, an insulated loft can save up to £255 a year on energy bills in a semi-detached home, rising to a whopping £590 for a detached house.

Insulating your water tank, pipes and radiators is a quick and easy way to save money on your bills.

If you have an open chimney that you don’t use very often, you can buy a removable chimney draught-proofer to keep your room even warmer.

If budget allows, you can also significantly improve your home’s insulation and reduce heat loss by replacing single glazed windows with double glazed.

Be appliance savvy.

Kettles are famously one of the most intensive guzzlers of household energy – in fact, approximately 6% of our electricity bills come from boiling the kettle! Avoid overfilling your kettle and save yourself an additional £13 a year on your electricity bill.

Descaling your kettle regularly will prevent limescale build up, ensuring your kettle is as energy efficient as possible.

After kettles and tumble dryers, ovens rank third on the list of energy-hungry appliances. Using the fan function is the most efficient approach, as it cooks at lower temperatures. Induction hobs also outperform gas hobs in terms of energy efficiency, converting about 90% of the energy they use into cooking use, compared with just 60% for gas hobs.

Laundry diligence.

Washing at low temperatures takes less time, saves money and is better for your clothes – a win all-round! Dialling down the temperature to 30°C will shrink your bill but not your clothes, saving 40% of the energy used each year. Make sure you optimise your machine by only doing full loads.

It is also wise to ditch the tumble dryer when looking to save the pennies. Using a tumble dryer three times a week can cost hundreds of pounds a year so opt to hang out your washing instead. However, if drying indoors, ensure the rooms is well ventilated to avoid damp.

Save water.

As much as we all enjoy a long soak in the tub, swapping just one bath a week for a shower can save you £20 a year on your energy bills. Whilst reducing your shower time to just 4 minutes, could save a typical household up to £95 a year.

For more information about how to save money on your energy bills, visit The Energy Saving Trust website.

Please call the team at Harry Charles for more information on 01923 731313