One of the main aspects to cutting energy costs is trying to reduce your household's consumption, rather than looking for a cheaper deal in the current climate, MoneySavingExpert advise Britons. The consumer website explains that finding cheaper tariffs is hard to find at the moment, as no deals are "meaningfully cheaper" than the regulator's price cap.
Hence, your best bet is to make simple lifestyle changes to limit the amount of energy you consume. MoneySavingExpert have listed nine simple ways you can cut on your energy-spending habits, based on numbers provided by the Energy Saving Trust, and their own calculations.
The figures are based on a typical three-bedroom household with a family of four, correct as of November 2021. Some could amount to a notable chunk of your bills, while others could shave off a few extra pounds each year.
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For each degree you cut the thermostat, you will cut bills by roughly 4 percent, or about £65 a year on average for a typical home. Apparently, 18 degrees is enough for healthy adults, according to the World Health Organisation.
The very old or young needing just lightly higher temperatures. It is also best to turn your heating on only when you need it, rather than leaving on low all day.
When you use less water, it usually means you use less hot water, too. A water-saving shower head could save about 2 per cent for a typical family - £35 a year on average.
Reducing your water usage can not only save money on your energy bills and help the environment, it can also cut bills for those on water meters.
LED bulbs consume about half the energy of the bigger fluorescent spiral energy-saving bulbs. You should also turn the lights off when you leave the room, and not worry about constantly switching lights on and off - it could save you £14 a year.
Equipping your doors and windows with draught excluders can cut 2% off energy bills - about £30 a year on average for a typical home. And if you have a chimney, you can shave off about 1.5% more by draught-proofing it.
Interestingly, adding a second layer on windows with something like clingfilm can make a difference. It just needs to be transparent and airtight.
Savings from this one look promising. Taking just a minute in the shower time could save you £75 a year in energy bills - and £105 a year in water bills for those who have a meter. You can use a shower timer to keep you in check when you over-indulge - or just set an alarm.
If you have an older model, you can save cash by making sure you fill up the washing machine for each washing. For modern machines this would make less of a difference, around £10 a year. You can also try to set the temperature to a lower setting.
If you avail yourself from the use of your tumble dryer, you could save another £40 a year. Just keep in mind to ventilate the room enough when you air-dry clothes, to avoid issues with damp.
You won't save huge with this - around £8 a year - but it's still worth being conscious about boiling more water that you are going to use.
Really only relevant with older TVs and devices, where switching them off instead of leaving them on standby can save £40 a year. Newer devices are made to consume a minuscule amount of power in standby mode - an EU law mandates that devices made since 2013 can't use more than 0.5 watts on standby.
You only really need to heat the space you are in, and not the whole house. Investing in thermostatic radiator valves for each room can save you loads long-term - almost 6%, or £85 a year on average for a typical home.
On the flipside, it's a total myth that painting your radiators black will heat rooms more efficiently.
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