As the temperatures decrease and the price of gas increases, there are a number of ways you can save on your energy bill this winter without shivering in your boots.
Ofgem reported that from October, those who are on default tariffs paying by direct debit will see an increase of £139 from £1,138 to £1277.
Those additional pounds can add up quickly, but The Lighting Superstore has plenty of tips you can use to help keep that energy bill down.
With gas and electricity prices going up now is a great time to find out ways you can reduce your usage and therefore your bills.
Here are eight to get you started.
Invest In Utility Bill Meters
Having an electricity meter, water meter, and gas meter present in your home is a good way to keep on top of how much you are using.
It is also a good way to catch any differences in actual usage and what you are being charged.
Your electricity meter that comes with your home may be faulty, old, or both – so having an independent meter can help you compare.
Likewise, a leaky boiler, tap or pipe can cause you to pay more for your water bill than your genuine usage in any particular month.
Stay vigilant and make sure that each month, you are only forking out what you need for what you actually use.
On that note, you could:
Invest In Thermostatic Radiator Valves
Thermostatic radiator valves sound more expensive than they actually are and can help you save on your heating bill. Not only that but they can offer you more control over your home’s heating systems.
Trade Radiators’ Thermostatic radiator valves can link up with your phone and allow you to turn off radiators at will. This means you can control how long your radiator is on, how often, and control it remotely.
No more wasting money when you leave for work and forget the heating is still on!
Get Low Power Bulbs
Now this one offers more than one benefit, as it’s not only good for your wallet, it’s good for your health, too.
Switching out your incandescent and fluorescent lighting for more energy-efficient LEDs can have a massive long-term impact on your home’s energy bill.
Through their low electrical consumption and long lifespan, it costs less to use an LED bulb, over the long term, than a fluorescent or incandescent bulb.
This not only means that they cost less to run than many other types of bulbs, but they’re kinder to the environment and will help you to reduce your carbon footprint.
Also, low power bulbs let you switch off and will make it a whole lot easier to sleep. That’s because the more offensive light that you get from a brighter bulb will keep your brain activated and awake.
TIP: Read more on How To Design Your Home With LED Strip Lights
While you’re replacing your bulbs, consider how much you are using them too. Lights on during the midday sun is just money being needlessly wasted. Lights off when the day breaks in the morning and back on when the sky turns navy. You’ll be surprised how much lower your electricity bill will be.
One degree cooler
You could save up to 10 per cent of your heating bill by turning down your thermostat by just one degree.
Most families are happy with a setting somewhere between 18˚C and 21˚C but keep adjusting the thermostat by one degree until you find a setting you are happy with.
You can also install a programmable thermostat to adjust the times you turn on the heating according to a pre-set schedule. Programmable thermostats can store and repeat multiple daily settings so that your house will be warm when you need it to be and automatically turn off when it’s not necessary.
Heating water in your home uses a considerable amount of energy and accounts for about 18 percent of your home’s energy usage.
In addition, the water is often kept at a higher temperature than is actually needed, so drop the temperature slightly to save those extra pounds. Installing a water heater blanket and insulating any exposed hot water pipes will help you to save too.
Switch it off
You can save approximately £35 a year by turning all appliances off standby mode when they’re not in use. Make sure you unplug them too, as they can still use energy when switched off but are plugged in.
Turning off lights when you leave the house or are not using a room will also save you a lot of money throughout the year, particularly in the winter months.
You could also save an additional £22 a year from your energy bill just by using your kitchen appliances more carefully. Try using your dishwasher and washing machine just once a week and you could save £8 a year for each appliance.
When boiling the kettle, make sure to only fill it up with the amount of water you’ll need to avoid heating up water unnecessarily.
Invest in solar
While the initial cost to install solar panels can seem intimidating, you can save about £800 a year once installation has been completed. The average family home needs a solar PV panel that provides about 4kW of electricity. This will cost between £5,000 and £7,000 and cover about 28 sqm of roof space.
A 4kWh solar panel system could earn homeowners around £700 a year from a supplier just for producing solar electricity. Additionally, around £150 would be subtracted from their bills for using their own power.
With solar power, you can also apply to receive payments from your energy supplier if you generate your own electricity. If your application is successful, you’ll get a set amount for each unit (kilowatt hour or kWh) of electricity you generate.
Get Tap Flow Restrictors
Home water bills can be cropped by a tap restrictor.
This lowers the pressure of your tap and makes the water come out a whole lot slower, which can be a tad annoying, but it’s absolutely worth it if you are trying to save as every little count.
You’ll be making a real saving as you’ll only be using the water that you need, and as a nice plus, you won’t be getting splashback when you’re washing the dishes.
Ask For Guidance From Your Providers
Your providers get you a good deal on your utilities, yes, but they can do much more than that.
Did you know that most providers have help services on hand that will help you keep your bills nice and low? You’ll be able to talk to customer service experts who will walk you through tips and tricks to keep bills low where possible.
Take advantage of these services and see where you might be able to make little monthly savings that equate to big savings at the year’s end.
