With the recent announcement of a rising price cap, it has never been more important to save on energy bills. We’ve put together a guide to help home energy customers find cheaper energy tariffs and save hundreds of pounds on your energy bills.
How to Reduce Home Energy Bills
Every home has potential for energy saving. Simply changing household habits could save large amounts on your energy bill.
These are some easy energy saving tips to help households become more energy efficient. Here are some energy saving tips for your gas and electricity.
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Switch energy suppliers
Many UK households are paying too much for their energy as they are put on standard variable tariffs. Simply comparing energy prices can help you save up to £482 per year on your energy bill.
The easiest way to compare energy suppliers is by using a price comparison site to see which energy supplier can offer you the best tariff. It is worth knowing that you may get a cheaper tariff if you are able to:
- Pay by direct debit
- Manage your account online rather than receiving paper bills, and submit your own meter readings
- Get both gas and electricity from the same supplier on a dual fuel tariff
Power Compare has a price comparison tool that is powered by Love Energy Savings, one of the UK’s most popular price comparison websites.
To learn more about why you should switch and how the process works, see our useful guides for homeowners and businesses.
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Become more energy efficient with smart meters
Understanding how we use energy is not easy, but it could become easier if you switch your meters to smart meters. It is much easier to manage your gas and electricity with a smart meter.
Most energy suppliers are installing smart meters free for customers. Becoming more aware of what you’re spending on gas and electricity will help you become more energy efficient and save money.
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Install improved insulation
Insulating your home is one of the most effective ways of reducing your energy bills and making your home more comfortable to live in. Some homes may be eligible for free energy efficiency measures like insulation through the Energy Company Obligation scheme.
The savings from insulation courtesy of the Energy Saving Trust can be substantial:
- Loft insulation can save £10-225 per year
- Wall insulation can save £70-425 per year (depending on your house and wall type)
- Draught proofing can save £25 per year
You may also want to consider upgrading your doors and windows with double glazing. Some simple draught proofing is cheaper and can help you save on your electricity and gas.
To learn more about how insulating your home could save you money, see our insulation guide.
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Turn it down and save money
You could save £80-85 per year according to the Energy Saving Trust by turning your thermostat down by 1 degree. It may be worth putting on that extra jumper rather than turning your heating up a few degrees.
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Add controls
If your heating does not have heating controls, thermostat radiator valves (TRVs), or heating programmers allow you to control your home heating more effectively. Smart thermostat devices are also becoming much more popular and are more accessible than ever to the average household. They help reduce energy use and adapt to your habits.
This is one of the most popular saving tips that could save you around £75 annually according to the Energy Savings Trust.
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Switch it off at the wall
Leaving appliances on standby still uses energy. Over time, this habit will help your energy bill creep up and eat into any energy saving efforts.
The Energy Savings Trust state that homes could save around £30 per year by switching appliances off alone.
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Cooking efficiency
Cooking food and boiling kettles all use a lot of energy. This doesn’t mean you should eat out every night! Just be smarter so you can become much more efficient and save energy.
Some energy saving tips are:
- Only boil the amount of water needed in the kettle
- Use hobs instead of the microwave
- Put lids on pans so the heat is not lost as steam
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Reduce water consumption
Hot water can bump your energy bill up. Showering instead of having a bath uses less hot water. Reducing the length of your shower will use even less water and energy, as the Energy Saving Trust claim that a family of four could save around £80 per year doing this.
You can also pick up a shower head that is more efficient to help save energy usage. If you are on a water meter you will make savings on your water bills too.
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Upgrade your lighting
Over the last decade, lighting has evolved massively with energy efficient LED lighting. This not only helps you save energy, but they actually last much longer too. This means you will also save money by not replacing bulbs as often.
You can also get smart light bulbs now that enable you to control your lights through your phone or voice using a smart home device. These bulbs allow you to dim the light to reduce consumption and control them remotely so that if you have a family member who always leaves the lights on you can turn them off from your phone.
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Replace old appliances
It may be much easier to switch energy supplier, but also upgrading old appliances can offer large savings. Old appliances demand much higher energy usage that could eliminate any savings made by switching energy supplier.
When feasible you should upgrade your old and inefficient appliances and ensure that you select a new appliance with a high energy efficiency rating. Investing in efficient appliances can make a huge difference.
60% of energy bills are from heating so an old inefficient boiler could be costing you a lot more to run. The Energy Saving Trust estimates that replacing your boiler could save around £55-320 per year and the savings are greatest for those boilers with a D-G energy efficiency rating.
Replacing your boiler will reduce your energy bills, be more reliable, and it will help pay for itself. Learn more about boilers, including environmentally friendly options, in our renewable heating guide.
Start to reap the rewards
You may think some of these tips might not make much difference on their own but if you start to combine the savings across all or just some of these tips you can really make a dent in your energy bills. The first step you can act on today is to switch energy and start to change your habits to reduce energy use.