We've seen some huge spikes in the cost of oil and gas here in the UK over the past few years. While the costs are gradually falling, we're still feeling the pinch from the rising cost of living, so any tips and advice on how to cut energy bills and beat the price rises can be hugely helpful, especially as the weather gets colder.
Good deals on your energy bills can be hard to come by at the moment, which is why we've put together our top ten tips to cut your energy bills and save you money. From turning off appliances at the plug to turning down your thermostat, just a few changes can make a huge difference to your monthly bill.
How to cut energy bills: 10 tips to help you
1. Turn off all standby appliances
Did you know that turning appliances off at the plug could help you save an average of £30 a year? You could use timer plugs to schedule when to turn these appliances off or you can even get plug sockets which can be turned on and off via your phone.
Alternatively if you live on your own and won't need to be constantly nagging people to turn things off at the plug, you can start by turning off all the sockets in your home and getting into a good habit of only switching them on when you need to.
2. Install a smart thermostat
Smart thermostats are brilliant as they only heat rooms that you are using, making your heating more efficient. As well as this, they also learn how long it takes to heat your home (so it’s nice and toasty at the right time you need it) and can even be controlled from your phone. By installing a smart thermostat and thermostat radiator valves, you could save yourself up to £75 a year.
For example, you might want to set the heating in your living room to come on when you get home from work, the kitchen and bathroom heating to come on first thing in the morning and the bedroom heating to come on an hour before you go to bed.
3. Install a new boiler
A new A-rated condensing boiler with a programmer, room thermostat and thermostatic radiator controls can save energy. It's also worth checking whether or not you're eligible for the Government's Boiler Upgrade scheme which can help improve your homes efficiency and help save you some money too.
The Government are offering a number of schemes similar to this to help all our homes be more energy efficient and greener in the process.
4. Turn down your thermostat
We're not asking you to sit in the cold, but turning down your heating just by a minuscule one degree could save you up to £80 a year.
If you do find yourself feeling cold, using something like an electric blanket is a cheaper way of staying warm on cold nights without switching the heating up.
5. Wash your clothes at a lower temperature
Are you someone who loves putting your clothes on a hot wash? Try washing them at 30 degrees instead, as it will reduce your energy usage. Even cutting out one wash cycle per week could save you £5 off your annual energy bill.
Most clothing items should only be washed at 30 degrees anyway (always check the labels) and you can reserve hotter washes for things like towels and bedding that require a hotter wash.
6. Be water smart
Guilty of leaving the tap running while washing up? Save more water by turning it off! Washing up in a bowl could save you around £25 per year. You can also buy smart water saving devices for your bathroom, like a shower timer or a more efficient shower head.
Saving water in the garden by installing a water butt is also a great way to lower those bills. You can also used cool down waste water from the house for you garden such as bath water and dirty washing up water.
7. Monitor your energy usage
Installing a smart meter will help you track your energy consumption. By seeing where/when you are using the most energy will help you decide where you can also reduce it and help you work out the right time to turn your heating on.
8. Double glazing and roof insulation
Double glazing will insulate your home more efficiently from the cold and will therefore cut your heating bill, while insulating your roof can also stop heating escaping from your home. We won’t lie, insulating your roof is a pricey job, but it could reduce your energy bills by £135 a year for those living in a semi-detached house.
9. Make sure there’s no draughts
A chilly draught will cause heat to escape from your home, so you’ll be more tempted to turn up the heating. According to Energy Saving Trust, this escaping heat could cost us around £60 per year. Prevent this by buying a draught-proofing kit, sealing cracks in the floors, skirting boards and blocking unused chimneys.
Alternatively, to get your house professionally draught-proof, you'll be looking at around £225 for an average home. If you're going DIY, we'd recommend starting with draught-excluding solutions for windows, doors, chimneys, loft hatches and skirting boards. Thermal wallpaper can be an affordable solution to this to help keep the heat in.
10. Try and buy efficient appliances
If you’re in need of a new appliance, like a fridge, freezer, dishwasher or washing machine, try and opt for a more energy-efficient one. A-rated models use more energy than A+, A++ and A+++ rated models, which can use up to less than 40% less energy.
To give you a better idea of how much money it could save you in the long-run per year, an efficient fridge freezer could save you over £100, a tumble dryer could save you up to £80, a washing machine could save you £73 and a dishwasher could save you £65.
Lorna White is a Senior Digital Writer at Yours.co.uk. She was previously a writer at Yours Magazine writing features and news stories before joining the digital team. Lorna loves the great British countryside and likes to spend her spare time out and about in her home of Nottinghamshire walking her dog, Pippin.