Top 10 energy saving tips in the home

With energy bills still painfully high, we’re all looking for ways to cut costs. Here are our top 10 energy saving tips in the home.

Angela Kerr Director, Editor

How much could you save?

In addition to comparing energy deals and making sure you are on the best available deal, reducing the energy you use is the best way to reduce your energy bill.

You could save hundreds of pounds a year by following these energy saving tips in the home. Here’s what to do.

Energy saving tips in the home

1. Insulate your home

One of our top energy saving tips in the home is to insulate. If you don’t have any loft insulation, installing it could make all the difference. Installing loft insulation in a detached house could save an average of £445 off energy bills every year. See our guide to loft insulation costs for more on what to consider.

A third of the cost of heating your home is lost through the walls, so insulating them is a great way to save energy in the home. Installing cavity wall insulation is expensive but make a big difference to the feel of your home and can save you £485 per year on your heating bills for the average detached house. See our guide for more advice on how to make your home more energy efficient.

2. Draught proof your home

Another one of the main energy saving tips in the home is fully draught proofing your home. It could save you money, as well as making it a lot more cosy!

Professional draught proofing of windows, doors and blocking cracks in floors and skirting boards can cost around £250, but can save around £45 a year on energy bills. DIY draught proofing can be much cheaper.

3. Watch your water use

Keeping your shower time to just 4 minutes could save a typical household £70 a year on their energy bills – plus you’ll save on your water bill to if you have a water meter. Think also about how much water you use when boiling the kettle. By not overfilling the kettle you could save £11 a year on your electricity bill. And reducing your dishwasher by one run per week for a year could save you £14.

4. Turn down your thermostat

Turning it down by 1 degree could cut your heating bills by up to 10%, making it one of our top energy saving tips in the home. You can also cut your heating bills by installing certain heating controls. If you don’t already have a room thermostat, installing one could save up to £70 a year. And consider getting a smart thermostat, which allows you to control your heating from your smartphone or tablet.

5. Don’t leave appliances on standby

UK households spend an average of £55 each year leaving appliances on standby, so make sure to switch yours off at the plug.

6. Fix dripping taps

A dripping hot water tap can waste enough hot water to fill half a bath in just one week, so fix those leaking taps and make sure they’re all fully turned off.

7. Turn off your lights

If you have children, you’re probably already used to sweeping through the house shortly after they leave for school, turning off every single light they have inevitably left on. Turning your lights off when you’re not using them or when you leave a room will save you around £25 a year on your annual energy bills.

Replacing all the lights in your home with LED bulbs could also help you save.

8. Insulate your hot water tank

An insulation jacket costs around £15 and can save around £50 a year on your heating bill, paying for itself in less than six months.

9. Careful with your washing machine

According to the Energy Saving Trust, you can save around £30 a year from your energy bill just by using your washing machine more carefully:

• Use your washing machine on a 30-degree cycle instead of higher temperatures
• Reducing your washing machine use by one run per week for a year

And avoid using a tumble dryer for your clothes: dry clothes on racks inside where possible or outside in warmer weather to save £60 a year.

10. Saving in the kitchen

There are lots of energy saving tips in the home you can use in the kitchen such as:

• Using a slow cooker – these cost around the same to run as powering a lightbulb.
• Cooking in bulk – by preparing extra portions when you’re cooking you’ll just have to reheat meals rather than cook from scratch again.
• If you need to buy a new appliance, check the energy-efficiency ratings before buying.

All savings are from the Energy Saving Trust.

Read our article on how to access energy bills heko and if you are considering making energy efficient improvements, see what energy grants are available and how to get them.

It’s now worth checking if you could be saving on your energy bill. Use our simple tool to instantly compare energy deals to see if you could save money by switching to a cheaper deal.