Though it is one of life's essentials, using energy to keep warm, light your home, and cook your food doesn't have to cost the earth. With a few simple tips that require minimum effort you can start slashing your energy bills right away - we show you how.
1. Consider switching suppliers
Before you begin making the small changes that cut money off your gas and electricity bills, it’s a good idea to make sure your current energy provider is pricing your products competitively. Without knowing it you could be paying way over the odds for your energy supply simply because of the provider you signed up with years ago.
Fortunately switching your supplier is a relatively easy undertaking and with the amount of savings it could lead to, it’s certainly worth looking into. Comparing the offers on gas and electricity with your current tariff and regular bill should give you an idea of where to start.
2. Do your own meter readings
It might seem like a bit of a chore but taking the time to read your electricity meter yourself could add up to big savings. Generally your supplier will provide you with an estimated reading, which many of us accept and pay for accordingly. However, these estimated readings can often be way out, either far above or below what you should in fact be paying.
Next time you get an electricity bill, check the estimated reading against your actual reading and see how close it is. If it’s above what it should be make sure to contact your supplier and give them a reading yourself, which should result in a bill for the correct amount and more accurate readings from then on (though it’s still worth checking your meter every time).
If you find that your estimated meter reading is in fact below what it should be, it’s still worth contacting your supplier and letting them know – or it could mean a hefty bill at the end of the year to make up for the shortfall.
3. Get out of the standby habit
One of the biggest ways in which people waste energy and consequently money is by leaving appliances on standby. TV is probably the biggest culprit, as it can be much handier to switch it to standby with the remote than turn off the power at the set. And after all, how much electricity can that red standby light really use?
In fact leaving your TV (or any appliance for that matter) on standby means it is eating up electricity constantly as it waits for you to switch it back on. Only switching it off completely will stop the electricity supply to the set, and stop you paying to keep something on that you aren’t even using.
4. Switch off at the wall
Switching appliances off at the wall can make a big impact on the amount of energy you’re using, even more than making sure they aren’t on standby. It may be a good idea to switch off DVD players, games consoles, microwaves and so on at the wall when they’re not in use. If left on at the wall a constant supply of electricity is being fed to them, even if you aren’t using them.
Likewise it’s certainly worth getting into the habit of unplugging chargers after you’ve used them. For example if you charge your phone, then unplug it but leave the charger in a socket that’s switched on, electricity will still be used even though it isn’t going anywhere. So, next time you charge your phone, iPod, or camera, make sure to unplug completely and switch off at the wall when you’re finished.
5. Switch lights off
Though we’re not suggesting you live in the dark or by candle-light, it certainly makes sense for your wallet and the environment to turn off lights when you aren’t in the room. Many are under the impression that lights use minimal electricity and so there’s no harm keeping the whole house ablaze 24-7.
Although it’s fair to say that lights aren’t the biggest energy-eaters, leaving several on for long periods when you aren’t using them adds up to a needless addition to your bill. Try to get into the habit of switching off the lights every time you leave a room and the savings will speak for themselves.
Additionally, it could be worth installing energy-saving light bulbs so that whenever you do have the lights on, you’re at least using the minimum amount of electricity.
6. Don’t heat a full kettle
If you only need to boil enough water for a cup of tea or two, there’s no need to fill the entire kettle to the brim. The electricity it takes to heat an entire kettle of water will be considerably more than if you only boiled as much as you need. What’s more, the water for your cuppa will be heated in much less time if you only boil a small amount.
Another tip worth trying is to refill the kettle with fresh water (but only with as much as you’ll need for your next cup) directly after it has reached the boil. The heat left in the kettle from the last boil will mean the new water will take less time to heat up, even hours after you last used the kettle.
7. Make the most of your hobs
If you usually cook vegetables by using several separate hobs, it can be much more cost-efficient to use just one hob instead of four. You can do this by using a tiered steamer, which will use the heat and steam from one hob to heat three or four tiers of vegetables, piled one on top of the other.
Additionally make sure that the pan you are using fits the hob perfectly. If the pan is too small and there is space around it, heat from the uncovered part of the hob will escape, meaning you use much more power than you need to.
8. Turn washing down to 30 degrees C
Though many of us are suspicious about turning our washing machines down to 30 degrees, this slightly lower temperature will in fact in most cases get your clothes as clean and fresh as a 40 degree wash. 10 degrees less will generally make no difference to how clean your clothes are, but heaps of difference to how much energy you’re using. Next time you put in a load, try turning down to 30 degrees C and you could save a significant amount on your electricity bill.
What’s more you should make sure to always wash a full load when you switch on your washing machine, instead of doing lots of smaller ones. The same applies for your dishwasher: wait until it is full up before you switch it on.
9. Say no to tumble dryers
Tumble dryers can be incredibly convenient at times, but the amount of electricity they eat up will have such an impact on your energy bill that they’re usually not worth using. Next time you are about to use the tumble dryer consider if you really need your clothes very dry, very fast – often a more cost-efficient solution is to simply hang your clothes out in the breeze or on a clothes airer.
10. Turn thermostats down a notch
When the winter months approach it’s essential to keep warm, but it is possible to do this and save energy at the same time. If you’re used to having the thermostat on your central heating turned up to the maximum, this winter try turning it down by one degree. Even this small difference can mean big savings on your overall energy consumption. Wrapping up snugly in jumpers and blankets will also take the edge off if you find one-notch lower isn’t as warm as you’d like.
