HOME + GARDEN
tank - an insulation jacket costs around £ 15 and can save around £ 45 a year on your heating bill , paying for itself in less than six months .
Turn off the lights
If you have children , you ’ re probably already used to sweeping through the house at regular intervals , turning off every single light they have inevitably left on . Turning your lights off when you ’ re not using them or when you leave a room will save you around £ 14 a year on your annual energy bills , so it ’ s worth doing . Replacing all of the lights in your home with LED bulbs also cuts costs .
Be mindful of water use
Switching just one bath a week with a four-minute shower could save you £ 7 a year on your energy bills , and making sure you keep your shower time to four minutes will save a typical household £ 45 a year on their energy bills . Think also about how much water you use when boiling the kettle . By not overfilling the kettle you could save £ 8 a year on your electricity bill , and reducing your dishwasher by one run per week for a year could save you £ 10 .
Turn down your thermostat and update your settings
Turning down your thermostat by just one degree could cut your heating bills by up to 10 %. You can also cut your heating bills by installing certain heating controls . If you don ’ t already have a room thermostat , installing one could save up to £ 70 a year .
If working from home , you can take advantage of a later start from not having to commute by setting your heating to come on later in the morning . If you have a timer on your central heating , set it to come on only when required and if possible get a smart meter installed , which is estimated to help reduce a household ’ s electricity use by 2.8 % and gas use by 2 %.
Fix dripping taps
A dripping hot water tap can waste enough hot water to fill half a bath in just one week , so fix any leaking taps and make sure they ’ re all fully turned off .
Shut doors and close curtains
Shut doors to areas you ’ re not using , and only heat the rooms where you spend the most time . In cooler months , make sure your curtains or blinds seal your windows properly and stop cool air leaking out by blocking draughts around doors and windows . In warmer months , keep your curtains closed during the day ; in bigger houses , external blinds will also help keep the house cooler .
Make your home draught-proof
Fully draught-proofing your home could save you money , as well as making it a lot more cosy ! Professional draughtproofing of windows and doors , as well as blocking cracks in floors and skirting boards can cost around £ 200 , but can save around £ 30 a year on energy bills . DIY draught-proofing can be much cheaper , so if you ’ re handy around the home , you ’ ll save even more .
Use an electricity monitor
Although not for the faint-hearted ( especially if you have teenagers in the house ), electricity monitors show you in real time how much electricity you are using , which can help you make decisions about your energy use and become more efficient . At the moment you can get an electricity monitor from around £ 25 online and they are easy to install yourself .
Be mindful of washing and drying
According to the Energy Saving Trust , you can save around £ 20 a year from your energy bill just by using your washing machine more carefully :
• Use your washing machine on a 30 ° C cycle instead of higher temperatures and save £ 10 a year on energy .
• Only wash your clothes in your washing machine when you have a full load ; reducing your washing machine use by one run per week for a year could save you an extra £ 10 .
• Granted , this is more difficult during the colder months , but if you can , avoid using a tumble dryer for your clothes ; instead , dry clothes on racks inside where possible or outside in warmer weather to save £ 40 a year .
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