With the increase in energy bills alongside rising interest and inflation rates, understandably many are concerned about the winter ahead.
Last month the government announced the energy cap, which comes into place this month, although we know that bills are still on the rise. With that in mind, what can we do in our own homes to lower our energy bills? Although there isn’t one overall method to significantly reduce your payments, there are plenty of smaller changes you can implement in your home that can make a difference. Take a read of our tips for reducing your energy bills below.
Tips for saving on heating and plumbing bills
- Draught proof your home. This practice involves identifying areas that are prone to letting heat escape. The usual culprits here are gaps in doors, windows and skirting boards, all of which can all be improved with draft-proofing strips.
- Consider insulating your home. Insulation may seem like a drastic measure, but it can help considerably in preventing heat loss and ultimately saving you money on your energy bills.
- Turning the heating down rather than off. Research has shown that when leaving the home, it can sometimes be more efficient to turn the heating down rather than switching it off. This is because it may require more energy to turn it back on and return to a comfortable temperature.
- Installing radiator thermostats allows you to customise each room’s temperature rather than heating the whole house. This reduces energy wastage and can help keep your bills lower. If your home currently does not have thermostats on all radiators, consider asking an engineer about installing them.
- Consider a smart heating thermostat. This will provide the outside temperature and demonstrate your home’s ability to heat up in different weather conditions.
- Reduce the temperature on your boiler. Boilers can be optimised in a number of ways to reduce heating costs. For example, if you have a combination boiler you can reduce your radiator temperature to below the standard minimum of 70 degrees and still receive hot water.
- Have your heating system filter cleaned. An engineer can inspect the level of debris accumulated in the system and clear it, optimising your radiators’ efficiency. It’s also important to ensure that your heating system is serviced and inspected by an engineer annually.
- Dry your washing on an airer. Avoid putting wet washing on radiators as this causes condensation to walls and windows, which in turn can develop into mould.
Tips for saving on electricity bills
- Check how energy-efficient your appliances are. Most devices display their EU energy-efficiency rating with common underperforming appliances being washing machines, ovens, dishwashers and fridges, so we recommend taking a look to see just how efficient they are. The more efficient, the lower the running cost.
- Make use of eco-mode settings on appliances. Many appliances may naturally steer you towards some of their highest output modes. However, most also include an eco-setting which operates more efficiently at a slightly lower output – saving you on running costs.
- Switch devices off overnight. Making sure your devices are fully switched off and not left on standby can make a difference, it’s true that even the tv standby light uses power. Instead, consider switching your devices off at the mains source.
- Don’t leave charging devices running. A good habit to get into is recognising when a device has become fully charged and then unplugging it from its charger. This is a great method for preserving devices’ long-term battery health as well as saving on unnecessary electricity costs.
- Reduce the temperature on your washing machine. It’s been shown that a lower temperature wash at 30 degrees can use between 35-59% less energy than a hotter wash, and it’s proven that modern washing powders work just as effectively at a lower temperature.
To find out more about the support available this winter with paying your energy bills see the government’s energy bills support factsheet here >> https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/energy-bills-support/energy-bills-support-factsheet-8-september-2022.
