In the UK, the average cost of electricity for a year is £722.74 and gas is £853.30. When you combine these, UK households are paying a huge percentage of their income to energy bills.
Everyone is looking for ways to cut down on household spending, so here are some tips to help you improve the energy efficiency of your home and save you some money.
Insulation
The majority of heat in a home that escapes is lost through poorly insulated walls and roofs. This is one of the key reasons why it is important that your home is insulated properly.
Your first step should be to get a professional to inspect your insulation. They will be able to assess whether it is sufficient or not. If you have cavity walls, you can get some insulation material injected into the space between the inner and outer walls by drilling small holes that are then sealed with cement.
For a semi-detached property, the average cost of cavity wall insulation is £2,700 but leads to savings on your bills which typically means it pays for itself in five years.
Smart heating
There are plenty of apps on the market that allow you to control your heating remotely from wherever you are. It has happened to everyone where you’ve gone out for the day and accidentally left the heating on. Normally, this would result in a larger heating bill, but with smart heating, you can simply turn it off when that realisation hits.
If you are upgrading your central heating, there are more and more products on the market that focus on energy efficiency, such as central heating pumps from suppliers like RS. By revamping the whole system, you can ensure that there is as little wasted energy as possible.
Efficient fittings
Often it is smaller changes that can have a large impact on your household bills. Switching to more efficient fittings can add up and create a large saving overall.
LED lightbulbs are the most efficient type of bulb on the market and they can last up to ten times longer than regular bulbs. So not only are you saving on bills, you are saving money by buying less frequently.
You could also consider installing sensor lights indoors. Whilst you may think of these as security lights, they could also work for families where lights are left on regularly when rooms are not being used.
Switch devices off
Leaving gadgets on standby may feel like an innocuous and minimal energy waster, but if you add everything in your home that is currently plugged in and not being used, it will soon add up.
Make a conscious effort to turn off and unplug things that aren’t in use. You may want to make a habit of checking each room before you all leave the house or go to bed. Overnight there will be a solid 8 hours or so where things are using electricity but definitely aren’t being used.
