The average UK home uses around 2,900 kWh of electricity and 12,000 kWh of gas in a year. With the cost of living crisis putting a strain on everyone’s disposable income, most people in the UK are trying to find ways that they can cut back in order to save money. As part of this, many people want to reduce their bills as much as possible. Because Ofgem’s price cap is on energy units, rather than your overall bill, reducing your energy consumption can reduce your energy bills.
Luckily for you, we’re here to help with some useful tips on how to reduce your gas and electricity bills. Let’s jump straight in!
Tip #1 – Turn off standby
How often do you turn your TV off properly? We mean off at the wall, so that little red standby light isn’t on? We’ll take a guess at not often. Most electrical appliances in your home have the ability to be switched off at the plug without disturbing their programming. It seems insignificant, but turning these appliances off of standby mode can actually save you around £60 a year!
Tip #2 – Think about draught-proofing your doors and windows
Unless you have a new build, chances are that you’re losing a lot of your heating through your doors and windows, gaps around your floors, and up your chimney. This is, obviously, a big waste of money, as why would you pay to heat your chimney?!
Professional draught-proofing can be expensive, costing you around £300 depending on what you get done, but you can DIY your draught-proofing for a fraction of the cost, and it can save you around £50 a year on your energy bills!
Tip #3 – Install a Smart Thermostat
Smart thermostats are handy little electronic devices that are designed to control and manage the heating and ventilation systems in your home. Unlike traditional thermostats, which require manual adjustment, smart thermostats are equipped with sensors, Wi-Fi connectivity, and advanced algorithms to automate and optimise temperature control.
Smart thermostats can make your heating more efficient by only warming the rooms you are using. They can be controlled from your phone rather than a static home device, and use their sensors and algorithms to learn how long it takes to heat the rooms in your home to a specific temperature, so that you are able to have your room at its ideal temperature at exactly the right time. If you installed smart thermostats, programmers and thermostatic radiator valves, you could save around £75 a year!
Tip #4 – Install a Smart Meter
A smart meter is an electronic device that allows you to easily read your gas/electric readings. It takes automatic readings of your gas and electricity usage which are then sent to your energy supplier and displayed to you on your screen.
They are a cost effective way of reducing your energy consumption, because there is no upfront cost for getting a smart meter installed in your home, and your energy supplier only bills you for the amount of energy you actually use, rather than an estimation.
Because you get an immediate view of your home’s energy consumption as and when energy is being used thanks to real-time data, you’ll be able to better manage what you use and how much, which can ultimately reduce the amount of money you spend.
Tip #5 – Be careful with your washing and avoid your tumble dryer
Washing and drying your laundry is a never-ending chore. Not only does this make it extremely tedious, it also costs you a fortune! However, by being more careful with your washing machine and tumble dryer usage, you could save around £90 a year!
We understand that it might be difficult to reduce the use of your washing machine, however, if you use your washing machine on a 30-degree cycle instead of higher temperatures, or reduce your washing machine use by one run per week for a year, you may be able to save £30!
Tip #6 – Upgrade your boiler
Though not a cheap option, costing, on average, between £1,000 and £3,000, upgrading your old boiler to a newer one will save you a lot of money in the long run, and can reduce your annual heating bills by 20 – 35%!
Tip #7 – Take shorter showers
A lot of us love taking a soak in the bath or scrubbing our worries away with a nice long shower. However, reducing your shower time to 4 minutes or less could save a typical household £75 a year on their bills! As well as this, if you swap one bath a week to a 4-minute shower, you can save around £17 annually!
How GreenSmart can help
At GreenSmart, we offer a range of different services that can reduce your energy consumption, such as boiler replacements and various green plumbing solutions.Contact us today to speak to one of our engineers about your specific requirements and find out how we can help you keep the cost of your bills lower!
