10 ways to save on Home Energy Bills

Nobody likes paying their home energy bills. They always seem too high. While you can’t control your energy provider’s prices, you’re not powerless in this situation. There are a number of things you can do to drive down your energy costs and save some money.

1. Insulate your home

Investing in proper insulation is one of the best ways to reduce your home energy bills. By insulating your attic and walls, you save up to 40% on your heating bills. While the up-front cost can be sizeable, you’ll save in the longer term.

2. Seal off any draughts

This is a simple one, but it can be very effective. Draughts let warm air escape and allow cold air to enter, meaning you have to turn up the heating just to feel comfortable. However, if you fill in cracks around your doors, windows, plumbing and wiring, you can save up to 10% on your heating bills.

3. Turn down your heating by 1°C

This is a clever little trick. Nobody can tell the difference between, say, 21°C and 22°C, but by lowering your thermostat by just 1°C, you can again save up to 10% on your heating bills. Doing this will cause you no real discomfort and your bank account will thank you for it.

4. Replace your light bulbs

Replace your traditional light bulbs with energy-saving alternatives. Compact Fluorescent Lamps (CFLs) are far better for your home energy bills, using less electricity while also lasting longer. It’s a small up-front investment that will pay off in the long run.

5. Make good use of timers

Set timers on your boiler or immersion so you’re not heating water when you don’t need it. There’s no point in having it on 24 hours a day, so set the timers in a way that suits you and your family’s needs and watch your bills shrink.

6. Buy energy efficient appliances

All appliances now require an energy efficiency label, so be picky when choosing your appliance and always aim for an A-rated model. It may be more expensive to buy than its inefficient counterparts, but you’ll save money in the long run.

7. Only boil as much water as you need

We’re a nation of tea-drinkers but we often overfill the kettle, putting in far more water than we need to make our cups of tea. When we do this, we’re using energy to boil water that we don’t even need, and kettles are notorious guzzlers of electricity. Less water equals more savings.

8. Turn appliances off

Oftentimes, people don’t turn appliances off, choosing instead to leave them on standby. While this saves you some time when you go to use the appliance again, it costs you money as the appliances use electricity when in standby mode. Switching them off fully could save you up to 20% on their energy cost.

9. Switch lights off when leaving a room

This is another simple tip, but if you get in the habit of doing this, it will all add up and you could save a significant sum.

10.  Buy heaters appropriate for their intended rooms

Electric heaters are highly expensive to power, so you want to be sure that you’re buying a heater that is appropriate for the size of the room. If you buy a heater that is designed to heat a larger room, it’s only going to waste electricity.

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