We live in challenging times where events have conspired to make life a lot more expensive. The pandemic was already having a significant impact on the cost of living, but now the war in Ukraine has hit petrol prices and the cost of food.
Amidst this uncertainty, the energy price cap has been raised, increasing most people’s bills by almost double. It is starting to feel that the salary we work so hard to earn is being leached from bank accounts rapidly.
In a time of big issues, there is rarely a single solution that will relieve the burden. However, we can take many small steps that add up to a big difference. Here we offer a series of energy-saving tips that give you some control over your utility bills. While these hints won’t address all of the cost-of-living pressures we feel, they could make a dent.
LED lighting
Changing a lightbulb could contribute to changing the world. LED lighting is one of the strategies proposed by environmental charities in reducing our drain on the world’s resources. It can also save us money on our household bills.
An LED light bulb does cost significantly more than a standard bulb, at almost double the price. However, the bulb lasts up to three times as long. Consequently, over time, these bulbs should be considered more cost-effective. They also use less energy, and each bulb can save you about £10 a year each. What doesn’t sound like a lot can soon add up when you consider the number of lightbulbs in your home.
Turn the thermostat down one degree
Each degree on your thermostat costs you 3% of your gas bill. Therefore, for each degree you turn down, this is also what you save. Over the course of a year, experts suggest this one degree will save you £80 on your bill.
With appropriate insulation around the home, you can easily cope as a family with one or even two degrees lower on the thermostat. Your roof and windows are significant areas of your home that lose heat. Therefore, insulation in the attic and well-maintained double-glazed windows will serve you well.
Service your boiler
Inefficient boilers are a major drain on the power coming into your home. The more effectively it can push heat out and around the building, the less money it will cost you. This counts not only for the maintenance of the boiler itself but also for the radiators. A radiator filled with air will impact the energy taken to get your home to your desired temperature.
Consequently, investing in an annual boiler service ensures it is working at its most efficient. It also prevents untimely breakdowns and equipment replacement that can average £1200. Equally, going around the home and bleeding radiators can have a small impact, as can putting radiator reflectors behind the unit to efficiently bounce the heat back into the room.
Educate the family on efficient energy use
One of the easiest ways to address energy costs is switching items off around the home. We often leave lights on in empty rooms and televisions and monitors on standby, and all these behaviours cost us money. Therefore, making it a family effort to switch items off at the wall can make a difference. It also serves to help children develop good behaviours for when they are managing their personal budget in the future.
There are also items in your home sucking energy even when not in use. These are known as energy vampires and can account for 20% of your monthly bill. Your toaster, for instance, sucks power even when not toasting and the mobile phone plugged in overnight continues to draw energy even when the battery is full.
Go smart
If getting the family into new routines will take the time you don’t have now, you can use technology to fill the gap. There are smart sockets that can switch items off at the wall using your mobile or smart speaker, or based on a timer in your program. Equally, a smart thermostat can make the accurate heating of the home that much easier, helping you attain that one- or two-degrees difference. Even smart devices control your lights, so they automatically turn off and on when people move in and out of the room.
While smart tech might be a more expensive investment in the first instance, it will pay for itself.
Summary
There is much to do to save money on our utility bills. Remember to make sure that you are with the cheapest energy deal you can be, and compare online if you’re unsure. The increase in the energy cap is a worry but is not beyond our control; we can manage the cost of our electricity and gas.
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