Energy Saving Tips

Average energy bills have doubled in the last six years, so now more than ever it is vital to use less gas and electricity. Understanding your energy usage is a first vital step to reducing your energy bills and you can use Energy Average to compare your home's gas and electricity costs and usage against the national and local averages for homes with a similar profile as yours.

Home energy usage is a significant proportion of the total UK carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions. According to the Energy Saving Trust each household in the UK creates around five and a half tonnes of carbon dioxide a year which is nearly double the carbon dioxide emissions that the average car produces in a year. All the main political parties are looking at "green" taxes as a way of raising revenue, so reducing your gas and electricity usage is more important than ever and a simple way to reduce the UK's overall emissions.

Tip 1 - Just Turn It Off

When you leave an appliance such as a TV, DVD Player or Games Console on standby rather than turning it off at the wall socket, it will continue to use electricity and cost you money. The average homeowner has some 25 devices plugged in at home, a lot of which will be on standby and not turned off, all using electricity and increasing your bill with every hour they are in standby. Leaving a mobile phone or a laptop charging, even after it is fully charged will also have the same effect and increase your bills.

Tip 2 - Turn Down That Thermostat

Boilers and heaters within the home account for two thirds of all the energy used in British homes. Research shows that we have increased the temperature within our homes by some 5 degrees centigrade since the 1970s. Simply turning the thermostat down by 1 degree can save you around 10% of the total costs of your heating bills. You should use the controls on individual heaters or radiators in each room to adjust the temperature to an appropriate level.

Ensure spare rooms are only warm when needed and lower the temperature in the bedrooms for a more comfortable sleep. You will find that your body will soon adjust to a lower level of heating within the home. Turning down the thermostat on your hot water cylinder to 60 degrees centigrade will still provide water at an ideal temperature for bathing and washing but will also save you money on your energy bills.

Tip 3 - Old Boilers Cost Money

If you boiler is over 15 years old, then it will begin to lose efficiency, which will end up wasting gas as well as increasing your bills and you should look to replace your old boiler with a newer more efficient boiler. An A rated condensing boiler is the most efficient type available as they convert around 90% of the fuel used into heat as compared to around 60% for an older conventional boiler.

The government Boiler Scrappage Scheme which offered £400 off a new boiler to households with old inefficient boilers has now expired but some suppliers have continued to match this discount. British Gas can provide new energy efficient boilers to reduce your yearly heating bills, year after year. Request a free, no obligation quote now.

Tip 4 - Insulate Your Loft

If your home is not insulated then a quarter of your expensive heating is lost through the roof. You are effectively paying to heat the outside as well as the inside of your home. Insulating the loft in your home is a simple and effective way to reduce your home's heating bills. The recommended depth for mineral wool insulation is 270mm and fitting or topping up your insulation to this depth could produce annual savings per year of around £150.

The DIY cost to fit loft insulation is around £275 for a semi-detached home with 3 bedrooms, so fitting loft insulation can pay for itself in less than 2 years, and continue to save you money for years to come. Fitting loft insulation can be done by most people as a DIY job. Loft insulation can be purchased in rolls from most DIY stores such as Wickes or Homebase.

Tip 5 - Energy Saving Light Bulbs

Energy saving lightbulbs use up to 80 per cent less electricity than a standard lightbulb, but produce the just same amount of light. When energy saving lightbulbs were first introduced many people thought that they were oddly shaped and gave off a cold harsh light but technology has moved on greatly since those early days.

Energy saving lightbulbs are now available in a wide variety of styles and fittings, with candle shaped bulbs, halogen and dimmable energy saving bulbs all now available as well as bulbs with a soft tone for a warm glow. Energy saving bulbs will usually last around 10 times as long as a normal bulb so not only do you save money using them but, you also save money on replacements.

Tip 6 - Give Your Hot Water Tank A Jacket

Insulating the hot water tank in your home is one of the quickest and easiest ways to save money on your energy bills. Fitting a British Standard approved 'jacket' around your hot water cylinder will cut heat loss by over 75%. If your hot water tank already has a jacket fitted, then check that the existing jacket is at least 75mm thick. If it is not at least this thick, consider replacing it with a new more efficient jacket.

A new 75mm thick hot water cylinder jacket will save you around £35 per year on your home energy bills and with new jackets costing less than half that, the payback can be less than 6 months. British Standard approved jackets can be purchased from most DIY stores such as Wickes or Homebase.

Tip 7 - Lower Temperature Washing

Modern day washing powders and detergents work just as well at lower temperatures as they do at higher temperatures. You should be able to wash almost everything at no more than 40 degrees centigrade. Doing a washing at 60 degrees centigrade will use almost 30% more electricity as around 90% of the energy used by the washing machine will be used to heat the water to the higher temperature. Ensuring that you are only washing full loads and not half loads will also make significant reductions in your energy usage and costs.

Tip 8 - Boil Less Water

Kettles use a great deal of energy to boil water quickly, so filling your kettle right to the top when you only need enough water for one cup will use far more energy than you need to. A typical home kettle will use the same energy as the equivalent of switching on 160 energy saving light bulbs for the same time as the kettle takes to boil. Filling the kettle with just the right amount of water will not only make the kettle boil faster, but will also reduce your energy consumption and save you money.

Save On Your Energy Bills

Changing your energy supplier and tariff is one of the quickest and easiest ways to save money on your gas and electricity bills and is a quick and simple process that does not require that you change any of the wires or pipes supplying gas and electricity into your home. For full details on the switching process and to see how much you could save today by switching, see our switching gas and electricity supplier page.