9 Easy Ways to Save Energy and Money

Last updated on Thursday 23rd March, 2023 at 14:50pm by Charlie Gill

Saving energy at home has never been more important.

The climate crisis has been all over the news in recent years, with extreme weather conditions and wild fires.

It came as a bit of a shock to me that in the UK, the majority of our electricity still comes from burning fossil fuels.

With rising energy prices at an all time high in 2023, it's never been important to monitor your gas and electric usage, especially your household emissions.

Homes currently account for around 20% of our emissions - that's a massive chunk.

If you're not too fussed about climate change, why should you reduce your emissions? Keeping an eye on your emissions will save you money!

We're here to share some top tips with you for saving energy AND money.

1. Close your curtains at dusk (if you have them)

Curtains do more than stop your neighbours from looking in! Curtains aren't for everyone, but they're an effective way of stopping heat from escaping through windows.

Another great way to keep heat in is to use a draught excluders on your doors. They could save you at least £40 a year in heating bills!

2. Only set the heating on when you're at home

Between 18C - 21C is the prime temperature for our bodies to feel comfortable. By only setting your heating to come on when you're at home, traditionally in the morning and evenings, you could save yourself around £150 a year.

Not heating your home unnecessarily is one of the easiest ways to reduce your emissions and carbon footprint.

3. Reduce your time in the shower

You could save yourself £15 a year per person by reducing your time in the shower by just one minute! I'm sure we've all been there in the mornings waking ourselves up in the shower for that little bit longer than necessary.

The one minute rule makes all the difference to saving energy at home, and you won't even notice a change to your routine.

4. Switch to energy saving lightbulbs

We can't begin to imagine the days before lightbulbs and we take them for granted in our daily routine. Choosing the right kind of light bulb can easily help you save on your electric usage.

By switching to LED or energy saving lightbulbs and making sure you turn lights off when you leave a room, you could save up to £80 on energy over the course of a year. 

5. Think about your laundry & save energy

By running your washing machine at the lower temperature of 30C could reduce your electric bill up to £20 a year. The lower temperature will wash just as well, we promise! To be extra kind to the planet, use a natural laundry detergent.

An extra tip is to ensure that you fill the drum. One full load uses less energy than two half loads. Once washed, save even more energy by line drying your clothes, especially as the weather gets warmer. This also produces creaseless clothes!

6. Use a washing up bowl when doing the dishes

If you don't have the luxury of a dishwasher, make sure you are using a washing up bowl. Using a bowl not only saves water, but also saves the energy that's need to continuously heat running water.

You might be surprised to hear that this method, rather than continuous hot water, could save you up to £35 a year. 

You could even switch to a natural washing up soap to reduce the amount of plastic in your home and the chemicals going into the water system.

7. Switch off appliances when not in use

We've all been guilty of leaving the TV on standby. But it's easy to forget about the microwave, kettle, printer and any other household appliance. 

Turning off all appliances at the wall that are not use could save you up £50 a year in energy. 

8. Don't overfill the kettle

Overfilling the kettle is a common way to lose money and energy. Only fill it to the level you need.

It might sound a bit daft, but if you're only making a couple of brews, think about pouring the water in the cups first and then pouring into the kettle. Every little helps!

9. Install a smart meter if you can't keep up

If you don't regularly monitor your bills and energy usage via an online service, it might be a good idea to switch to a smart meter energy reader.

This gives you a daily, monthly and yearly reading of your energy usage, which can help you pinpoint where you're wasting energy the most.

Conclusion

Implementing these tiny little changes are simple to build into your life and make all the difference when it comes to energy usage and needless money spent.

If you think about the electric and gas in your home, you'll start to notice where you can save and how to reduce your carbon footprint. 

Are there any key energy saving tips we've missed? Let us know in the comments.