Saving energy in your home

Using energy more efficiently and cutting out wastage could save you up to £300 a year on your fuel bills.

Financial support to make homes energy efficient

Financial support is available to help you make your home more energy efficient through the Home Energy Savings Programme.

In addition, if you're a landlord and make energy saving improvements to your property, you could claim the Landlord's Energy Savings Allowance and lower your tax bill. Check the link below for more information.

Insulate your home

Nearly half of the heat in a typical home is lost through the walls and roof. Most UK homes don't have the recommended amount of insulation, so think about insulating both your loft and your cavity walls.

Turn off your appliances – don’t leave them on standby

The average household wastes £30 a year simply by leaving appliances on standby. Remember:

you can't switch most electronic goods off just with the remote control
to turn off an appliance completely, use the power switch on the appliance itself or turn it off at the plug
if a charger or power pack is warm or has a light on, it's probably using power

Buy energy efficient appliances

A 20 watt bulb can save £60 over its lifetime compared to a standard 100 watt bulb

Energy efficient appliances are easy to find and aren’t necessarily more expensive. Look out for appliances that carry the labels below to save money and energy:

Energy Saving Trust Recommended label

Appliances showing the Energy Saving Trust Recommended label are among the top 20 per cent most efficient available.

European Union energy label

EU energy labels on fridges, freezers and washing machines show how energy efficient an appliance is on a scale of A to G. A is most efficient and G is least efficient.

Make your heating more efficient

If every household in the country installed a high efficiency boiler, the energy saved would be enough to provide heating and power for almost two million homes.

you can reduce the amount of energy your existing boiler consumes by up to 40 per cent by controlling it with an efficient thermostat and thermostatic radiator valves
replacing a 10-year-old boiler with an efficient new one could reduce your energy consumption by a third
Energy Saving Trust - find out more about High-efficiency boilers

Simple energy saving tips

Turn your central heating down by one degree to save 10 per cent

There are many simple ways to save energy in the home.

In the kitchen

boil a kettle with only as much water as you need
cover pots and pans when cooking – they will boil a lot quicker
defrost your freezer regularly and avoid putting hot food in the freezer
there's emerging research that using a microwave rather than a conventional oven to heat up a small amount of food may save you energy

Washing clothes

washing clothes at 30 degrees can be just as effective for a normally soiled load
run your washing machine or dishwasher with full loads
avoid tumble drying – dry clothes outdoors or on indoor dryers when possible to save money and energy

Heating and hot water

turning your central heating down by one degree could cut your heating bills by up to 10 per cent
turn down your immersion heater temperature by one degree – you will save energy and you're unlikely to notice the difference

Lighting

use energy efficient light bulbs – if every UK home installed three of them, it would save enough energy to power all the UK's street lights
try to remember to switch the lights off every time you leave a room