You don't have to make big investments to make big savings on your energy bills. You can save a surprising amount with some actions that cost little or no money. You can start reducing your home energy consumption and your bills today with 10 simple actions:
1. Swap the 5 to 10 light bulbs that you use most with low energy bulbs. Low energy bulbs now cost on average £3 each, and can save up to £7 a year in electricity bills. Over its lifetime, a low energy bulb will save you up to £60 in electricity costs. It's one of the best investments you can make. You can buy low energy bulbs on-line.
2. Don't leave appliances like televisions and computers on standby and remember not to leave appliances like mobile phones on charge unnecessarily. Things let on standby are still using electricity, and could be using 10-20% of your electricity per year.
3. Turning your thermostat down by 1ºC could cut your heating bills by up to 10 per cent (or an average of £30). N.B. the recommended temperature for a living room is 21°C. And make sure you have set your thermostat to only heat your house when necessary, during the day when you are there. If you current heating controls don't allow you to program this, consider replacing them
4. Fit a hot water jacket to your hot water cylinder that's at least 75mm (3") thick, and you could save around £20 a year. And it should cost only around £10 to do.
5. Make sure you are not overheating your hot water. Your cylinder thermostat should be set no higher than 60ºC/140ºF
6. Close your curtains at dusk to stop heat escaping through the windows, making sure that they do not cover your radiator.
7. A dripping hot water tap wastes energy, so make sure they're fully turned off and any leaking taps are quickly repaired
8. Use thick rugs with underlay on wooden floors to improve their insulation
9. Wash your clothes at no more than 40 degrees. All modern detergents are designed to clean successfully at 40°C and there is no need for a pre-wash. Washing at 65°C requires twice as much energy
10. Only fill your kettle with as much water as you need (but remember to cover the elements if you're using an electric kettle)
You can also have other valuable energy saving home improvements done for free if you receive certain government benefits, or are over 70. These include loft and cavity wall insulation, and new central heating. Follow this link to find out if you could get a grant.
All in all you really can save a lot without having to invest a lot.
