The main way on your electricity and gas bills is to use less.
But this doesn't just mean switching everything off, especially if you're elderly or have young children.
How can I keep on top of what I'm using?
If you can, get a smart meter for your gas and electricity. You'll need to contact your supplier for this, but it's normally free.
With a smart meter:
- You don't need to manually take meter readings.
- Data is automatically sent to your energy supplier.
- You'll receive accurate bills rather than estimated bills.
- It's easier to see what you're spending since it's displayed on a screen.
I know what you're thinking: do these tips actually work? In short, yes!!!! These are same tips I use myself to save money on my energy bills.
Depending on the size of your home, you might not see big changes - but I promise these things will help.
Jamie Cunningham, Gas Manager
7 tips for saving energy
1. Turn down your room thermostat
An 18˚C room temperature is suitable for healthy adults, with slightly higher temperatures of 21 - 22˚c needed for the young and elderly. Every degree that you reduce your temperature by can save around £142 per year for a typical home.
If you have a thermostat that tells you the room temperature, it will probably be in your hallway. Don’t worry if you don’t have one. Some systems work differently, and we can tell you about yours during your annual gas safety check.
2. Turn down your radiator
Turn off your radiators in rooms that you don't use and keep the doors closed. In the rooms you use, reduce your radiator's setting.
Most radiators have settings numbered from 0 to 5. Each number represents a temperature setting (0 being off). Using setting 2 or 3 instead of 5 could save you up to 30% of your energy costs.
3. Let us in for your Annual Gas Safety Check
Our gas team work extremely hard all year round, making sure your home and gas appliances are safe and working efficiently.
When you have your annual gas safety check, you are:
- Keeping your home, family and neighbours safe.
- Improving your boiler’s efficiency, which reduces fuel consumption. This helps you to keep energy costs low.
- Helping us identify any faults so we can replace parts.
- Reducing your environmental impact.
You'll also receive advice from our gas-safe engineers to make sure you know how to use your boiler most efficiently.
4. Think about how you do laundry
The most energy efficient way to do your washing is by making sure you do a full load. You can also try to use cooler temperatures, like 30˚c washes.
5. Turn off standby appliances
Turn your TV off at the socket rather than leaving it on standby. It's not a big saver, but it all adds up!
6. Think about how you cook
It's normal to use your oven when you're cooking. But - if already own any of these - it could be more energy efficient to use your slow cooker, air fryer or microwave.
7. Never use these
The appliances below are all unsafe if you use them inside. You could cause carbon monoxide poisoning or cause a fire.
- Patio heater
- Portable BBQ
- Calor gas heater
- Camping stove
It's really important that you never use these appliances inside your home!