Here are some energy saving tips that can help you save on your energy bills. Here are some simple changes you can make to your boiler and heating system:
- Turning your energy bill down slightly even by just one degree can save around 90 pounds a year. The minimum recommended temperature for healthy adults is 18 degrees with slightly higher temperatures recommended for very young and very old people.
- Adjust settings on combi boiler to reduce flow temperature, 60 degrees is recommended but they are normally set between 70 and 80 degrees.
- If you don’t need hot water on demand all day, check your boiler’s ‘pre-heat’ settings
- Turn down the radiators in rooms you are not using. Smart Energy GB says you could save around £40 a year turning radiator valves down to the midway point, in rooms you don’t use.
- Make sure your boiler is healthy and running efficiently, ideally you should have your boiler serviced every 12 months to keep running and repair costs down.
- If your home takes ages to heat up and gets cold quickly, consider insulation. Many homes lack sufficient insulation meaning a huge amount of heat might escape and be wasted, to address this you should invest in cavity wall or loft insulation.
- See if you can switch your boiler to ‘summer mode’, many boilers have the option to switch off heating but keep the hot water function on.
Tips to save energy on your appliances:
- Wash more clothes less – and try a cooler setting. Ensure you do full washing loads to reduce the amount of loads you do and wash at 30 degrees.
- Tumble dryers are one of the most expensive appliances to run, so minimise use, maximise load.
- Don’t run your dishwasher half empty
- Check if your fridge and freezer are too cool. Keep the fridges at 5 degrees and freezers at -18 degrees, don’t set them cooler than that as it will waste energy.
- Save water by reducing the amount of time you spend in the shower.
- Turn draught detective by spotting window and door draughts in your home.
Other small changes to help you save energy and therefore money:
- Keep your doors closed
- Hang curtains on interior doors and line your curtains to limit draughts.
- Energy monitors can show you exactly how much energy your devices use
- Make the most of natural heat and light
- Don’t leave your mobile phone to charge overnight as the average phone only takes 3 hours to fully charge. So charging overnight will waste unnecessary energy.
- Don’t block your radiators so heat can flow more easily around the room.
You can find more advice to help you cut your energy bill here:
https://www.moneysavingexpert.com/utilities/energy-saving-tips
