Blog Post 14 August 2019 Updated 3 November 2020

Seven steps to saving energy at home

Home energy tips

by Ieuan-Rhys Beal

We use energy at home every day, from making a morning cup of tea, watering our plants right through to when we turn off the TV before bed. And at night we’ve still got refrigerators, freezers and boilers working away, phones charging and other devices on standby. So with this ongoing activity, how do we go about reducing the level of energy we all use?

If you’re worried about your bills, switching your tariff or energy supplier can help save money. There are a number of free and impartial energy comparison services to help households across the UK find the best energy tariff for them. We recommend using Citizen Advice Bureau’s Comparison Tool to find the best energy deal. And you can always choose a green tariff, if you’d like to send a message to the authorities about preferring renewable energy.

Beyond switching, take a look at our seven steps to saving energy at home:

1. Get the boiling point

If you fill the kettle up with only as much water as you need will save you £6 in energy bills a year.

2. Step away from standby

Households can save around £30 a year by simply switching your TV off standby. Almost all electrical and electronic appliances can be turned off at the plug without upsetting their programming.

3. Shower smarter

Spending one minute less in the shower will save you £7 off your energy bills each year, per person. The introduction of a water meter can also see a further £7 off annual water and sewerage bills. If everyone in a four person family did this it would lead to a total saving of nearly £80 a year. (Based on a power shower, assuming five showers per person, per week.)

4. Turn off the tumble and line dry

Households can save on average £35 in electricity a year by line drying their clothes instead of using of using a tumble dryer.

5. Take control of your heating

By turning down your thermostat by just 1°c you can cut your heating bill by up to 10 per cent, saving around £80 per year. If you have a programmer, you are able to set your heating and hot water to come on when you’re at home rather than seeing it wasted whilst you are out. The thermostat should be set up

6. Turn off the lights

Turning off the lights off when you’re not in the using them can save households around £14 on your annual energy bills.

7. Wash at 30°c

Setting your washing machine to wash at 30°c rather than at a higher temperature, households can save £8 a year and use 40 per cent less electricity.

By making these simple yet effective changes to your energy use at home, you could limit the number of carbon emissions released into the environment from your energy generation. If homes across the UK switched on to becoming more energy smart, it could drastically cut the number of harmful emissions released into the atmosphere.

Of course, it’s important that the power companies do their best to shift towards sustainable energy generation but we can all do our bit to reduce our impact on the planet. And beyond the environmental benefits, these small changes around the home can help save you money on your energy bills. Now that has to be a winning strategy.