How to save energy and money if you rent your home

Switch off standby

Save around £40 a year in Great Britain (GB) and £70 in Northern Ireland (NI) just by turning your appliances off standby mode.

Turn off lights

Turn your lights off when you’re not using them or when you leave a room. This will save you around £7 a year in GB and £30 in NI.

Want to save even more? Make sure all the bulbs in your home are energy efficient LEDs and save up to £40 a year in GB and £75 in NI.

Wash at 30

You can save around £11 a year in GB and £18 in NI just by using your washing machine more carefully. Wash at 30°C instead of higher temperatures and reduce your washing machine use by one run per week for a year.

Ditch the tumble dryer

Dry clothes on racks inside in a well-ventilated room if possible, or even better outside in warmer weather to save £45 a year in GB and £75 in NI. Many appliances like washing machines and dishwashers also have ‘eco’ or low energy modes, so opt for these if you can to save more energy.

Avoid overfilling the kettle

Kettles are one of the most used appliances in the kitchen, but many of us boil more water than we need at times. Avoid overfilling the kettle and save yourself £9 a year in GB and £14 in NI.

Fill your dishwasher

Only run your dishwasher when it is full to reduce the amount of water you use. Reducing your dishwasher use by one run per week for a year could save you £11 in GB and £18 in NI.

Block out draughts

If there’s a gap at the bottom of your door, block it with a draught excluder – you can make one stuffed with used plastic bags or bits of spare material. For windows, heavy curtains can make a real difference to how much heat is lost during the winter – and in the summer, blinds can help keep rooms cooler, so you don’t need to use a fan!

Fit radiator reflector panels

You might want to check with your landlord first, but consider fitting reflector panels behind your radiators on any uninsulated external walls in your rented property. These reflect heat from the radiator back into the room, instead of letting the heat out through an external uninsulated wall, and could save you around £20 a year in GB and £25 in NI.

Understand your boiler

Whether you rent or own your home, most of us get our heating and hot water from a gas boiler. Understanding how yours works and how to set it correctly could help you to reduce your heating bill – read our handy guide here. If you have a thermostat, consider turning it down by just one degree to cut your bills. Turning your thermostat down from 22 to 21 degrees could lower your heating bills by a whopping £80 a year in GB and £105 in NI.