Energy saving tips: 10 ways to reduce your bills

Energy Efficiency Ideas & Energy Saving Tips

There are so many things you can do to help reduce the amount of energy you use in your home. Becoming energy efficient doesn’t mean making massive changes and can be achieved by making a few small changes.

Energy saving ideas: 10 top tips

Here are some very simple energy-saving tips that will help you to keep costs down:

Energy-saving light bulbs

Did you know that they last around 10 times longer than traditional light bulbs and they consume 80% less energy? Equating to savings of around £60 over the lifetime of the light bulb.

Turn your lights off

It’s a very simple one but is often forgotten about. Please try to remember to turn your lights off when you’re not using them.

Wash your clothes on a cooler setting

Did you know that around 90% of the energy your washing machine uses goes towards heating the water? A 30°C wash has the potential to save you over a third of the energy you use when compared to washing at higher temperatures.

Limit the number of washes

Try to make sure your washing machine is full before putting your washing machine on to limit the number of times you use the washing machine each week.

Don’t overload your dryer

When you use your tumble dryer, make sure that it’s full – don’t overload it. Tumble dryers consume much more energy than your washing machine. It’s so much cheaper and better for the environment to use a washing line or clothes horse if you have one. If you do have to use your tumble dryer, make sure that when you’re washing your clothes that you use a fast spin, as this helps to remove more of the water.

Make sure your dishwasher is full

You should only use your dishwasher when it’s full – even with just one thing in the dishwasher it uses the same amount of energy as it does when it’s full. Top tip – try to stop the dishwasher when it’s on the drying stage, open it up, and let the dishes dry naturally.

Boil the kettle for the amount you need

Don’t overfill your kettle! Overfilling your kettle each time wastes both money and energy.

Energy-saving appliances

When you’re buying a new fridge or freezer lookout for the logo! The higher the energy efficiency rating the more money you’ll save using the appliance – you could save as much as £37 a year with a high-efficiency fridge or freezer.

Switch off completely!

Don’t put your electrical products on stand-by – you can reduce your electricity bill and avoid emitting CO2, by not leaving your electrical products on stand-by. Switch them off and unplug them when not in use.

Control your heating

If you have to use an electric heater in the cold winter months, try to limit the amount of time you use it. Only heat the areas in your home that need heat and make sure you take the time to draught-proof your house. For tips on draught-proofing your home and ways to reduce heat loss check out this blog.