October Price Cap
Saving Money on Electric Bills in Winter
The government froze the price cap in October in order to relieve millions of households from an 80% energy price hike. Saving money and making your home more comfortable can be achieved by reviewing your energy tariff and cutting your gas and electricity use. These tips will help you reduce your energy bill in no time at all.
Your home can be made more energy efficient by a number of measures. In order to become more energy efficient, you don’t need to make big changes to your everyday life, simply making a handful of small adjustments can make a big difference. When it comes to gas and electricity bills, switching to a fixed-rate energy plan was the most cost-effective option in the past.
However, many fixed-rate deals are becoming very expensive, which means you may end up spending more money than you intended. Read on to learn how you can save a lot of money on energy bills by making several small changes each year. Not only will you save money, but you will also make a difference to the planet by contributing to a healthier environment.
Saving Money on Electric Bills
1. Make sure all lights and appliances are turned off
Home appliances account for a large portion of your annual electricity usage. Saving money on your annual bills can be achieved by using your appliances more efficiently. Your energy usage can be reduced by switching off lights, probably the most basic energy-saving tip.
Night time electricity consumption of our homes uses a large amount of power. Although LEDs are more efficient than conventional light bulbs, energy-saving light bulbs tend to be more reliable economically. There is no shortage of them, they are inexpensive, and they have a small price tag as well. You should also disconnect appliances and charging cords that aren’t in use, since these are electricity wasters.
According to the Energy Saving Trust, you can save around £30 to £35 by just unplugging all your electrical appliances instead of leaving them on standby. When you replace your old appliances, choose energy-efficient models to save money on electric bills.
2. Light bulb replacement
We’ve all heard this advice for years, and we’ve probably all implemented it. The fact remains – energy-efficient light bulbs can drastically reduce your electricity bills. An average UK home consumes 10% of its electricity through lighting, so it’s an important factor to consider. There is a good difference that you will make out after implementing this consistently over the years.
CFL bulbs are 75-80% more energy efficient than conventional bulbs. There is a 90% reduction in energy consumption with LED bulbs compared to standard incandescent bulbs. According to Energy Saving Trust, switching from incandescent bulbs to LED bulbs can save approximately £10. It would be possible to save £5 per bulb per year by replacing a 50-watt halogen bulb with an LED. Lightbulbs add up to some big savings when you add them all up.
3. Reduce the temperature of the heating
There is a lot of expense involved with heating your house. Your heating bills could be reduced by £85 each year with a 1 °C drop in your thermostat.
The slight reduction in temperature could result in a savings on your energy bill if you layer up instead of running the heat all the time. Your home’s carbon emissions can be cut by 300 kg annually by using thermostats, programmers, and thermostatic radiator valves. A boiler upgrade can be expensive, but replacing your heating controls can cut your energy costs much more significantly.
4. Your home needs to be insulated
During the winter months, most of us boost our heating to stay warm, which increases our energy usage. Home leaks can result in staggering amounts of heat. It is possible for your roof to lose 20 percent of its heat. The layer of insulation in your roof can prevent warmth from escaping, so you won’t need to turn on the heat as often. An annual savings of about £140 could be achieved.
A mid-floor flat without a roof would save approximately £190 a year in energy costs through cavity wall insulation. It is more time and labour-consuming to install solid-wall insulation, which makes it more expensive. The annual energy bill savings for a detached home can be as high as £940 approximately. This would come to about £530 a year for a semi-detached house, and about £330 a year for a mid-terrace. [It depends on other factors what the final figure of savings will be.
Save Energy. Save Money. Save the Planet.
5. Smart thermostats are a wise investment
Controlling the indoor temperature of your house with a smart thermostat will help you save money and energy. Using a timer, you can control when the heating starts.
Additionally, you can control the heating remotely via your smartphone, so you don’t have to worry about forgetting to shut it off. Depending on the weather forecast, some can make adjustments to your settings as well.
You can more precisely control the amount of heat that’s delivered to each room using smart thermostatic radiator valves. However, you will still be able to do this even if you don’t have a smart thermostatic radiator valve – simply turn off the individual valves one by one.
6. See if you qualify for grants or financial assistance for energy efficiency
In addition to paying your energy bills, grants and energy schemes are available to help you pay for renewable energy. The following are among them:
- In October 2022, the Warm Home Discount will increase to £150 (the majority will be pensioners and recipients of certain welfare subsidies).
Those born before 26 September 1955 qualify for a winter fuel payment of between £100 and £300 per winter
Up to £5,000 can be credited towards replacing your current gas or oil heating system with a low-carbon system (the boiler upgrade scheme was launched in May 2022).
The energy suppliers provide insulation for lofts and boilers at reduced costs.
Find out if you are eligible to receive any home energy assistance and grants. Additionally, for the winter of 2022, the government will offer cost-of-living assistance to people receiving certain benefits, as well as a £400 discount on energy bills for all households.
Be Smart. Smart Thermostats
Here are some quick energy saving tips to keep in mind:
Here are a few ways to start cutting your energy bill immediately in case you’re short on time or money, or if you’ve already tried everything on the list. Make sure you have already looked into your current energy consumption to understand the required target to lower the cost efficiently.
Get a handle on your energy bills by knowing where they come from. With a smart meter, you can view the consumption of energy you are consuming and how much it costs in real time. Calculate your savings based on this information.
Request a boiler service from your property manager or get one done yourself. Your boiler’s flow temperature may be lowered by an engineer in order to reduce your energy costs.
Consider installing thermostatic radiator valves where possible in your home heating system. In this way, just the rooms in your home that you use are heated instead of your entire home. If you have a bedroom and a living room, you might want the latter to be cooler.
Don’t place your electronic devices on the standby mode. Modern electronics have limitations on idle energy consumption, but older gadgets should be maintained with more care. Energy Savings Trust figures reported in March 2022 suggest you could save £65 by properly turning off appliances.
Use a clothes horse or the outdoors to dry your washing rather than using your dryer. If you’re drying clothes indoors, make sure the room is ventilated well and that there is a dehumidifier running.
Rather than running your laundry machine and dishwasher all the time, run them once a week and wash.
Priority Services Register can be requested. You can get free energy assistance from your energy supplier company if you are vulnerable.
When a service is provided more efficiently, it uses less energy. Using energy-efficient appliances and properly insulating your home are two ways you can save energy at home.
Always keep an eye on how much energy is consumed every month to make the most on the annual electricity bill.
