How to Save Money on Your Energy Bill

As we are all aware, the UK is currently in an energy and cost of living crisis. This means now more than ever it is essential to become more energy efficient and to gain the most out of the gas and electricity we are paying for.

Here’s what you can do to help lower your energy bill, and your home’s carbon footprint.

Why is Energy Efficiency so Important

The home accounts for 40% of our emissions here in the UK. There are many reasons why you should want to make your home more energy efficient.

It helps lower your monthly energy bills.
It Increases your home’s EPC Rating.
It makes Your Home More attractive to buyers.
Finally, it will reduce your carbon footprint.

Our Energy Saving Tips

1. BE Savvy With your Appliances

Buy More Energy Efficient Appliances

There are lots of ways you can make your home more energy efficient through your appliances. Although buying a new appliance isn’t something you do every day, shopping wisely when the occasion does arise can save you both valuable energy and money in the long run.
Appliances are now tested and given a rating on a scale of A to G, as an indication of how energy efficient the product is. Appliances rated A ( or A+++ on the older scale) are the most efficient. Since the introduction of the new rating system, standards have become higher so an A+++ fridge you may have brought a couple of years ago could be ranked as low as a D or C now.

An A+++ washing machine will typically use £65 less energy than an A+ one over an 11-year product lifespan.
An A+++ fridge freezer will save around £320 in energy bills over its lifetime compared to an A+ model.
You could save £3,360 over a decade by simply choosing the most efficient appliances compared to the least efficient.

Avoid leaving appliances on standby

Whilst buying a new appliance requires a large initial expense, there are also low-cost solutions to reduce your energy bill through your appliances. Did you know that by leaving an appliance on standby, ( leaving the appliance plugged in when not in use, with the plug still switched on) will gradually increase your energy usage?

The Energy Saving Trust (EST) states that the average UK household spends £55 a year powering appliances left on standby. This is the equivalent of wasting 45kg of CO2 emissions.
According to British Gas, standby devices are costing UK households £3.16 billion each year, which means each household cost save an average of £147 a year by simply switching off devices left on standby.
Leaving your microwave on standby could be costing you £16.37 a year, your Sky or Virgin Media £23.10 a year, and your Washing machine £4.73.

Fortunately, there are a number of easy solutions to help you reduce your standby electricity usage, such as standby savers and smart plugs that allow you to control your appliances from your phone. You can purchase smart plugs from as little as £5, and they are straightforward to install. Some solutions even come with timers or separate remote controls. Another solution is the good old fashion nagging of your kids to unplug their devices.

2. Rethink your home's Lighting

Lighting makes up 11% of the average UK home’s electricity consumption, so it’s an important factor to consider when exploring ways to reduce your energy bill. Energy-saving light bulbs also last longer than traditional options, making them better for the environment.

As most of you know, LEDs are the most energy-efficient light bulbs, requiring 90% less energy than traditional incandescent.
According to the Energy Saving Trust, switching from a 100W incandescent light bulb to an LED, can save you up to £15 per bulb per year on your energy bill.
And switching from a 50-watt halogen bulb to an LED would save you £6 per bulb per year. When you add up all the lightbulbs in your house, those can be some big savings.

Make sure to visit our Amazon Store, for the best LED energy-saving light bulbs our green team recommends.

3. Be Smart About Your Water Usage

Heating and using your water wisely is another way you can reduce your bills. For example, you can save around £34 a year on your energy bill just by using your washing machine more carefully! Check out our list below for some top tips:

By simply keeping your shower time to 4 minutes a typical UK household could save £70 a year on their energy bills.
Washing your laundry at 30 degrees rather than 40 degrees can help reduce your energy use. It’s also important that you are doing fewer but fuller loads.
You can save around £25 a year by washing up in a bowl compared to using a running tap.
Replacing your current shower head with a more efficient one – you can even install eco shower heads nowadays.
Make sure your boiler, dishwasher, and washing machine are running on an eco setting. This will allow your appliances to heat the water slower but more economically.
The UK as a whole waste around £68 million a year in energy by filling the kettle to the top to make a tea or coffee. So the next time you go to make a hot beverage, make sure you fill your kettle just to the level you need. This could save you up to a 1/3 of the energy you’ve currently been using!

4. Installing Smart devices

Smart Devices are all the rage in the 21st century. From smart lighting to plugs and appliances, to smart meters and sprinklers, smart technology is a great way to take control of your usage. Allowing your home to become highly efficient, and adjust automatically to your forever-changing energy needs.

Smart Thermostats

One example of a smart device that can help lower your energy bill is a Smart Thermostat. Installing Smart heating controls like a Smart Thermostat is a great way to take control of your heating, and keep your home well-heated, whilst saving you money on your energy bills.

A Smart thermostat links directly to your boiler, and allows you to monitor and control your heating habits through your phone, meaning you can access and control your heating on the go. They are usually compatible with most boilers, including gas, electric, and heating oil boilers. Smart thermostats are easy to use, and a cost-effective way of making your home more energy efficient.

Smart thermostats can cost anywhere between £150 to £280, depending on the make and model. They can be easily fitted yourself with installation instructions or professional installation can add about £50 – £100 to the total cost.
According to the Energy Saving Trust (EST), Smart Thermostats can cut your energy bills by £75 a year.
You can heat specific areas in your home at precise temperatures, create personalised schedules for your heating and hot water, as well as gain information through your home reports. By learning your habits and turning down the heating when you’re away it can help you save energy.
Tado says you can save ‘up to 31%’ a year using its smart heating Hive, which would result in a yearly saving of as much as £154 per year. Meaning they can effectively pay for themselves within a year.
1.67 million UK households are already using a smart thermostat, however, if every UK home installed a Smart Thermostat, we could cut up to 18.3 million tonnes of CO2 per year.

5. Insulate! Insulate! Insulate!

Insulation is one of the most efficient ways to save money on your energy bills. In fact, the Energy Saving Trust estimates that in one year a typical three-bedroom semi-detached house can save up to £310 on energy bills by installing loft and cavity wall insulation. There are various parts of your home that can be insulated. Including your roof, water tank, pipes, radiators, floor, loft and walls. What’s great about home insulation is that many things can be done by yourself.

While insulating your loft can be one of the more expensive parts of your home to insulate, it can also save you £135 off your energy bills each year if you live in a typical semi-detached house.
By insulating your hot water cylinder with an 80mm thick jacket you can save £35 a year. You can buy such a hot water cylinder jacket for around £30 off of Amazon.
About a third of all the heat lost in an insulated home escapes through the walls. By adding insulation here, you could save energy and cut costs off your heating bill. By adding reflector panels behind your radiators you can also reduce the amount of energy escaping through external walls.
Insulating your ground floor is a great way to keep your home warm. Insulating under your floorboards on the ground floor can save you about £40 a year. You can also add rugs, or carpet to your flooring to help give your home a warmer feel overall.
Insulating your water tank, pipes and radiators is a quick and easy way to save money on your energy bill. Pipes can be insulated using foam tubes, and ensure your hot water stays hotter for longer.

6. Installing Low-carbon Technologies

Installing low-carbon technologies such as solar panels on your property allows you to generate your own renewable energy, saving you money on your energy bills and making your home more energy efficient.

Although the average Solar PV System costs £10,000 here in the UK, by simply generating your own green energy instead of paying for it, you can save up to 70% off your energy bills with solar. What’s more, you can also sell any extra energy your system generates back to the National Grid through an Export Tariff. Solar energy is just one of the many low-carbon technologies you can install on your property to make your home future-proof, more energy efficient and even increase your property’s EPC rating and value.

If you are a UK homeowner considering installing Solar Panels to make your home more energy efficient, call our Green Team today on 01322 479369 for a FREE consultation. Installing solar panels is a great way to save money on your energy bills, whilst doing your part to help fight against climate change.