With energy bills on the rise, we have come up with 5 ways to save electricity plus make your home more energy efficient.
1. Switch energy supplier: save £237
If you haven’t switched energy suppliers in the last three years, there a good chance you
could save some money. Customers who used an independent comparison site, to switch their energy supplier, saved on average £237 a year. It is a good idea to take a look at comparison sites as you could save quite a lot of money.
2. Replace light bulbs: save £180
Energy-saving light bulbs can help you cut your energy bills easily. An LED light bulb
costs around £1.71 to run per year. Over its lifetime, it could cut up to £180 from your
energy bills, compared with an old-style bulb. Remember, energy-saving light bulbs do last longer than traditional ones: 1,000 hours – traditional light bulbs 10,000 hours – CFLs (10 years of use) 25,000 hours – LEDs LED are the most efficient types of light bulbs and use 90% less energy than traditional light bulbs. High quality LED cost £3.50 and can pay for themselves within a few months.
3. Choose energy-efficient appliances: save up to £239
If you’re replacing an appliance, you can cut your electricity bills by choosing the most
energy-efficient model. For example, running costs for washing machines vary between £20 and £100 per year. Choosing the most energy-efficient models can result in annual savings of around £80 for a washing machine, £70 for a tumble dryer and £89 for a fridge-freezer. And our research shows swapping these kitchen appliances for energy-saving ones could save you up to £239 a year.
4. Get a new boiler: save up to £652 a year
Replacing an old G-rated gas boiler which has no controls with a new condensing model,
including a programmer, could trim up to £652 a year from the gas bill of a typical home. But a new boiler is expensive, costing around £3,000 when you include installation. So if saving money is your priority, then it’s probably not worth replacing your boiler until it’s beyond economic repair.
5. Home insulation: save up to £315
Insulating both your loft and cavity walls can save you up to £320. Experts state that a lot of heat is lost through the loft so insulating your
loft will save you a lot of money. Laying loft insulation to a thickness of 270mm in a typical non-insulated threebedroom semi could trim £175 a year from energy bills, as less heat will be lost through the roof. Insulating cavity walls can save around £140 a year. Solid-wall insulation, although more expensive to fit, could save you £260 in the
same type of house.
