Top tips on cutting your energy costs – small savings add up

Turn your thermostat down.

This is one of the easiest things to do. For each degree you cut the thermostat, expect to cut bills by 4%-ish, or about £65 a year on average for a typical home. So consider popping on a jumper at home and seeing what temperature your household is comfortable at.

Use LED light bulbs, and turn lights off when you leave a room

LED uses about half the energy of the bigger fluorescent spiral ‘energy-saving bulbs’.

Some worry that constantly turning lights on and off wastes energy but, according to the Energy Saving Trust, you’re better turning lights off when you leave the room, no matter how long for. It reckons you could save £14 a year doing this.

Deal with draughts

Walk around your home spotting window and door draughts. Decent draught-proofing can cut 2% off energy bills, so about £30 a year on average for a typical home. This applies to chimneys too, where you can get a 1.5%-ish further reduction.

Don’t leave your devices on standby

Switching off your devices is better than leaving them on standby, of course, as otherwise, you’re using energy for something you’re not making use of. The Energy Saving Trust has stated you could save as much as £40 a year doing this.

Wash more clothes less, and try not to use the tumble drier

Full loads are much more cost-effective than half loads or washing a few items. The savings aren’t huge, around £10 a year for modern machines, but can be much more with old ones. You could also try doing your washing in a cooler setting – if you reduce your washing temperatures from 40 to 30 degrees, you could cut £12 off your bills a year.

Only boil the water you need in the kettle

The more water you boil, the more energy you use. Be conscious about this when filling the kettle, so you don’t overfill. Simple, but effective, with a saving of £8 a year possible.