Energy prices are soaring sky high, so it’s now more important than ever to make the gas and electricity we use in our homes go as far as possible. With that in mind, we’ve created a handy list of tips to make your home more energy efficient.
Plug the gaps, save on gas
You’ll be amazed how much heat can escape from gaps around windows, doors and even skirting boards.
A great tip for reducing the amount of gas you need to heat your home, by keeping more of it trapped in for longer, is to plug any gaps and cracks around door openings and windows. This is a really easy fix, simply by using some mastic and going around the edges to fill in areas where you can visibly see a gap, or feel air flowing with your hand.
You can also buy draft excluders to fill the gap on the underside of doors and stop heat escaping.
Reduce your boiler’s temperature to around 55 degrees
The default temperature on a lot of boilers is often too high. Turning it down could save you anywhere between £50-£90 in cost of gas per year.
For combination boilers, set your boiler flow temp (the heat it is when it leaves the boiler) to 50c for your radiators (most combi boilers have a radiator symbol to show you the correct dial to change and 55c for hot water.
For hot water cylinder boilers, set the temp to just over 60c. both flow temperature and heating.
Be careful though – don’t be tempted to set it too low, as bacteria such as Legionella can thrive if the water temperature isn’t high enough, per HSE’s guidance.
Reuse water where possible
Boiled water:
If you’ve boiled a pan of water to cook, for example some delicious poached eggs in egg cradles / poachers (so the water remains clean), then try wherever possible to reuse the water for the rest of your cooking, e.g. maybe the used water can be used again to cook some rice etc.
There’s plenty of opportunities to reuse water and as long as you’re not going round offering people cups of tea from reused water, this could be a great tip for saving on gas to heat up fresh water, or having to boil the kettle again.
Bath water for watering plants
Save on your energy bills and make more of the water used to heat a bath, by plunging a bucket or watering can into the bath once you’re done and using that water to water some of your plants.
Known as ‘grey’ water, this is a great tip for making your water go further, but do be aware that some shampoos / shower gels etc, bubble baths etc. may contain contaminants that could harm some plants, especially if poured onto foliage. For more info, see the RHS’s grey water guidance.
Reduce your shower time
At the price cap level, it’s estimated a ten minute shower costs around 35-49p. Even taking the lower end of that estimate, cutting your shower time in half could save you £64 per year.
Pop on a woolly jumper
As basic as it sounds and obviously without forgoing your health and need to be warm (if it’s really cold, don’t skimp on the heating as long as you can afford it of course), but a thick jumper or two (reminiscent of Joey from Friends wearing all of his clothes on a flight to get around the baggage allowance rules) could delay the need to turn your heating on and keep your pounds in your back pocket to spend on more exciting things.
Get some loft insulation
If you have loft space, then insulating it with a couple of layers of insulation can be a great way to keep it warmer in winter and cooler in summer.
Loft insulation can be pricey, so do some research first to see if you’re eligible for any Government grants that can help you out with that, alongside other measures to make your home warmer, more efficiently.
Dry your clothes as economically as possible
You could save up to £60 each year just by air drying your clothes on a line or clothes rail, rather than opting for the tumble dryer. Additionally, get more heat into your home by keeping radiators clear of clothing so the heat doesn’t have to slowly work its way through your garments in its struggle to keep your house warm too. To help clothes dry quicker indoors and more energy efficient than a tumble dryer, a great tip is to pop a dehumidifier in the room you’re drying things in and run it overnight – the reduction in moisture in the room will help the drying process on its way.
Master your thermostat
We’ve all seen or heard stories of – usually dad – turning down the thermostat and saying “the higher this goes the less presents you’ll get for your birthday”, as they turn it down to 16c and everyone sits there shivering.
There’s no need to be quite as drastic as that and it’s recommended that you keep your thermostat at a consistent level, between 18/19-21c is perfect.
Dialling the thermostat down by even 1 degree could save you around £130 per year.
“Doctor, doctor, I feel like a pair of curtains!”. Pull yourself together… and save 15-20% heat loss from your home.
Simply by drawing the curtains just as twilight is setting in (so it’s not yet dark) could save your home a reduction in heat loss of up to 20%.
You can also get thermal insulated blinds and curtains for even more savings.
Your name up in lights as an energy saving superstar!
Ok, this probably isn’t going to make your famous and no one is going to know about it apart from you and your VERY INTERESTED family as you announce you’ve just saved up to £12 a year PER LIGHT BULB, but for lighting, it’s got to be LED all the way.
LED light bulbs can save up to 80% on your electricity. Each non-energy saving bulb in your home, replaced with an LED version could save you up to £12 a year energy!
So there we have it – plenty of great tips to save you hundreds of pounds a year in energy bills. Thanks for reading.
