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Tips & Advice to save you £££s on your Energy Bills
Like many households across the UK, you're probably starting notice the effects of recent energy price rises on your household budget. Recent industry figures have shown that wholesale gas prices have increased by over 70% in 2008 alone.
On the positive side though, these staggering price hikes have created a highly competitive energy market with the big energy suppliers attempting to maintain their existing customers and tempt new ones away from their competitors to maintain their profits.
This buyers market, in conjunction with the fact that much of our energy usage is wasted, means that most UK homes can save around £300 a year by simply checking energy prices & making small changes to their daily habits.
Could you be paying too much for gas and electricity?
The difference between the cheapest & most expensive gas & electricity supplier could be as much as £100 per year.
If you've never changed your energy supplier or not compared your energy prices recently, you could make huge savings with little effort by switching to a more competitive energy company.
Its pretty simple to compare energy suppliers online & switching is becoming easier than ever. But like any consumer purchase, you should follow a few important guidelines before signing on the dotted line. Ask yourself the following questions when comparing energy companies:
1.Do they have any hidden charges?
2.Are the prices quoted inclusive of VAT?
3.Can you qualify for any special offers, incentives or discounts?
4.What is the supplier's complaints & performance record?
You don't necessarily have to switch your supplier to make energy savings. If you pay your energy bills by cheque or cash you could save £50-£60 per year if you pay them by direct debit instead. Switching to an online account could save you even more.
Small changes mean big energy savings
The most significant long-term savings come from positively changing your energy habits & being more energy efficient around your home.
As you start to see some savings its a good idea to re invest the money in energy saving products & appliances in order to reduce energy consumption even further. These long term savings will more than pay for the cost of purchasing and installing these new measures.
Begin using these no cost energy saving ideas around the home & compare reductions in your next few energy bills. Obviously, the more you apply, the more money you'll save.
Heating Tips
- Set your heating to turn off 30 minutes before you leave home & come on again 30 minutes before you are due to return.
- Turn the room thermostat down by 1?C. This could save around £30 a year.
- Make sure your curtains or furniture are not in front of any radiators.
- Draw the curtains at when it gets dark to keep heat in rooms.
Using Electrical Appliances
- Switch off electrical appliances such as microwaves, TVs, videos, stereos, and computers, as they use energy when they are left on in standby mode. A staggering 85% of the energy used by a DVD player is consumed when it is not actually being used.
- Unplug equipment e.g. mobile phones, shavers and electric toothbrushes once they are fully charged, otherwise they will continue to draw power.
Refrigeration
- Don't leave the fridge door open. Avoid putting any hot or warm food straight into the fridge; you should allow it to cool first.
- Defrost your fridge on a regular basis to keep it running efficiently & cheaply. If it tends to frost up quickly, check the door seal. It makes sense to avoid installing your fridge next to the oven or boiler. If possible, keep the freezer in a cooler room or in the garage.
Washing machine & dishwashers
- Only wash a full load or use a half-load economy program. Always use a low temperature program as modern washing powders these days will be just as effective.
- Modern dishwashers use less energy & water than if you wash up by hand.
Cooking
- Match the size of the cooker ring to the size of the saucepan or you will be paying extra to heat the air. Gas flames should only heat the bottom of the pan (not the sides too).
- Use the lid on saucepans, so the food heats more quickly and you use less energy.
- Pressure cookers, food steamers & microwaves all save energy.
Tumble dryers
- In the summer dry your clothes outside if possible.
- If you are drying your clothes inside, don’t put them over a radiator. This will stop the heat from reaching the rest of the room. Try putting up a clothes rail in an unheated room, open the window slightly to allow the damp to escape & shut the door to stop any heat being drawn into that room.
Hot water
- Only boil as much water in the kettle as you are going to use.
- In hard water areas, you will need to deal with limescale to keep your kettle working efficiently for longer. At least twice a year, try soaking the element over night in vinegar.
- When washing up or running a bath adjust the thermostat on the hot water tank down to 60c. This should be a comfortable temperature for most people.
- A standard shower uses only two fifths of the water required for a bath. In contrast, power showers can use as much water as a bath & sometimes more.
Using Energy More Efficiently
Despite the fact that UK energy bills have been rising, you could actually save some money by using energy more efficiently throughout the home.
The majority of us are not used to thinking about how we use the energy that powers our homes. Simple changes to your regular habits can have a massive effect on the gas & electricity bills that drop through your letterbox.
The energy saving tips and advice on this site are designed to help you control the impact of rising energy bills without affecting your lifestyle on a large scale.
The key is to view your home differently
The real key to making large savings on your home energy bills is to view your home as a living energy system with individual parts that affect each other.
For example, if you were to install energy efficient double glazed windows & loft insulation, when it's time to replace the boiler & heating system, you might be able to manage with a smaller one that costs less, as the windows and walls will retain the heated air inside better than a home without efficient windows & insulation. And because heating makes up the majority of your energy bills, you'll save the most amount of money by reducing your heating needs.
Applying energy saving improvements in your home will not only make your home more comfortable, but can also deliver long term financial savings. Permanently lower energy bills will more than make up for the higher cost of installing energy efficient appliances & improvements so you will be better off in the long run.
How much could you save on your home energy bills?
It's pretty easy to start saving energy immediately & you don't really have to spend any money to reduce your energy bills. Applying our energy saving tips around your home can save you hundreds of pounds a year.
As well as changing your energy habits, you can also install energy efficient products & appliances in & around the home. Energy efficient products don't neccessarily always cost more than inefficient ones but will use less energy so of course are cheaper to maintain and run.
Energy Saving Light Bulbs
- Save £5-£10 per year - cost recovered in 6 months
Hot Water Tank Insulation
- Save £10 per year - cost recovered in 1 year
Draught Proofing
- Save £35 per year - cost recovered in 3 years
Heating Controls
- Save £50 per year - cost recovered in 2-5 years
Double Glazed Windows
- Save £40 per year - cost recovered in 5 years
Loft Insulation
- Save £80-£100 per year - cost recovered in 2-6 years
Cavity Wall Insulation
- Save £130 per year - cost recovered in 3 years
Replace Old Boiler
- Save £120-£200 per year - cost recovered in 4-5 years
Regular Boiler Servicing & Maintenance
One of the most important energy saving measures you can take could save a lot more than money. Keeping your boiler serviced regularly, will not only keep your energy consumption down – it will also keep you and your family safe!
Many people think that if a boiler is working it doesn’t need any attention but that is not true. If a boiler’s not serviced annually, it and the flue will gradually start to get blocked and become less efficient. The boiler will have to work harder to produce the same heat. The result is higher gas consumption and bills and a greater chance of build-up of deadly carbon monoxide (CO).
Badly maintained gas appliances or damaged flues can leak CO in differing methods causing very high chances of risk
to health.
In rented accommodation an annual inspection is compulsory, so people in rented homes are potentially safer than
homeowners and their families! Regular safety checks and servicing of gas appliances mean you will be able to sleep
easy in your bed, knowing your family is safe. And a gas fire or boiler operating at peak efficiency costs less to run,
so you save money too. It’s a win-win situation.
The most concerning cases are where the boiler hasn’t been properly maintained, & there is no opportunity to point these faults out until it is too late. There have been many cases of death or serious illness of families & it could all
be prevented with regular maintenance.
You have an annual service on your car, it runs better, uses less fuel and, more importantly, you know it’s safe. It’s
no different with your gas boiler. If it’s not maintained properly, it is also potentially a very lethal machine.
adly installed or maintained gas appliances can cause CO faults. The servicing/inspecting must be carried out by a qualified & registered GasSafe engineer.
Carbon monoxide is a gas which is highly poisonous. It has no colour, smell or taste & so can be difficult to recognise. With enough air, burning domestic fuels produce carbon dioxide & water vapour in safe amounts and these products are normally taken away by a chimney or flue. However, if there is too little air and the air vent, chimney or flue is blocked, any carbon monoxide produced cannot escape. Look out for stains, soot or discolouration around a gas fire. There should not be a strange unusual smell when a gas appliance is on. The flame on a gas fire or heater should not burn yellow or orange.
Remember - never attempt to repair a gas appliance yourself and never block up air vents, even if there is a draught.
What’s the worst that could happen?
If the gas appliances in your home are unsafe you could be at risk of fire, explosion or carbon monoxide poisoning.
Carbon monoxide gas is invisible and has no smell. It is very poisonous & can kill quickly. If you are suffering from
carbon monoxide poisoning you might have symptoms such as headaches, nausea, chest pains, sudden faintness, erratic behaviour, diarrhoea or stomach pains.
Have your boiler serviced every 12 months - it will save you money & it could save your life!!
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Energy Saving Advice