Top 10 Energy Saving Tips

On this page you will find ten low cost / no cost tips, which will help you save energy across the home. For more involved energy saving, with higher returns, please visit the "Home Savings" page.

Turn your thermostat down by 1 degree Celsius

The ideal temperature for a room is between 18 and 21 degrees Celcius. Any lower and the room will feel cold. Any higher, it will be too warm, and you could be wasting fuel. Setting your room thermostat correctly, and leaving it set at the correct temperature can save a significant amount on your annual bills. Even a drop of 1 degree can save 8%-10% on your home heating bills.

Close your curtains at dusk to keep the heat in.

Closing your curtains at night provides an extra barrier, stopping the heat from escaping through your windows. If your radiators are situated below your windows, you may also consider tucking the curtains behind the radiator, to redirect the heat from behind the radiator into the room.

Only fill the kettle with the amount of water you need.

Electricity is the most expensive form of fuel for heating, for both rooms, and water. This includes your kettle. Why pay to heat a full kettle, only to let it go cold, and reheat it again later? If you put into the kettle just the amount of water you need, it will boil faster, and you will be save money in the long run.

Switch off the lights when not in use.

Tungsten lights are hugely inefficient. They produce lots of unusable heat, and as such only 5% of the electricity they burn actually goes to lighting your room. Simply ensure that they are turned off when not needed to save money, or you could consider installing good quality low energy light bulbs, which only use one fifth of the electricity. You can find out more on the "Home Savings" page.

Put lins on pans when cooking.

Putting the lids on pans when you are cooking, keeps the heat where you need it. Cooking times will be quicker, and you will be limiting the amount of moisture released into your home, a contributing factor of mold and dampness.

Set your heating programmer and timer properly.

Learning to set your heating controls correctly can save you money. If you only use the "on / off" function on your timer, you may forget, and have your heating running longer than is necessary. You are also at risk if you have mobility issues, and are at any time prevented from being able to switch your heating system back on. Every house has a warm up period and a cool down period, and setting your controls to reflect this will mean you get heat when you need it, but are not wasting fuel unnecessarily.

Pull furniture away from radiators

If your furniture is hiding your radiators, you will be working your central heating system harder, and it will take longer to heat your rooms. By allowing them space to circulate warm air, your system will be working more efficiently, and saving fuel

Install reflective radiator panels

These can be purchased from DIY stores, or you can make them using tin foil. They reflect heat back into the room, heat which normally would escape through the walls.

Turn your appliance off completely

Some appliances on standby, such as television sets can use up to a quarter of the electricity they would be using while in use. If you switch it off at the power button or at the wall, you are not paying for electricity that is going to waste

Set your hot water tank to 65 degrees Celsius.

If you have a cylander thermostat, setting it to 60-65 degrees celcius is enough to pasturise the water, killing harmful bacteria, and should be more than enough for bathing, washing etc. If you are heating your water too much, you are paying for wasted energy. You could also fit a tank jacket to your cylander. These cost £10-15, and will generally save you twice that per year!

Any of the above tips can be employed easily, and will create savings instantly. If you have any questions on the tips, or would like more information, contact us on 0800 512012