7 Energy Saving Tips for your Home

Moving furniture away from radiators can help make a room more comfortable by letting the warmth circulate better – 42 per cent of homes have one or more radiators blocked by furniture (or cats).

Replacing all standard bulbs and halogen spotlights in your home with energy saving light bulbs such as LEDs could save you £35 a year.

You can save around £30 a year just by remembering to turn your appliances off standby mode.

f you’ve got a shower that takes hot water straight from your boiler or hot water tank (rather than an electric shower), fit a water efficient shower head. This will reduce your hot water usage while retaining the sensation of a powerful shower.

A water efficient shower head could save a four person household (eg a family of four or even a shared student flat) around £67 a year on gas for water heating, as well as a further £100 on water bills if they have a water meter.

Calculation is based on the assumption that the family takes just under 20 showers a week and replaces a 13 litre/minute power-shower head with a 7.7 litre / min water efficient shower head, and the family are charged £3.01 per cubic meter of water used (includes sewage charge).

Unless your home is very new, you will lose some heat through draughts around doors and windows, gaps around the floor, or through the chimney.

DIY draught-proofing of windows, doors and blocking cracks in floors and skirting boards can cost around £200, but can save up to £25 to £35 a year on energy bills

More than half the money spent on fuel bills goes towards providing heating and hot water. Having a programmer and thermostatic radiator valves installed could save you between £80 and £165 a year. Even turning down your room thermostat by just one degree can save between £85 and £90 a year.

Whatever the age of your boiler the right controls will let you:

– set your heating and hot water to come on and off when you need them

– heat only the areas of your home that need heating

– set the temperature for each area of your home.

Turn your lights off when you’re not using them. If you switch a light off for just a few seconds, you will save more energy than it takes for the light to start up again, regardless of the type of light. This will save you around £15 on your annual energy bills.