Ways to reduce your energy bill
- Turn lights off when you leave a room
- Use cold water for laundry washes;wash only full loads
- Use a clothesline rather than a dryer
- Repair leaky taps
- Close curtains and windows at sunset during winter
- Use a draught stopper underneath doors
- Block off open fireplaces when not in use
- Switch off electronic equipment at the wall when not in use
- Limit use of heated towel rails
- Reduce your hot water cylinder temperature, but not less than 60°C
- Use thermostats and timers on heaters
- Take a shorter shower
- Shower rather than bathe
- Stop hot taps dripping by replacing washers or fittings
Affordable fixes to save you money
- Install a water-efficient shower head
- Fill gaps in your ceiling insulation
- Fit shields on external doors to keep out draughts and rain
- Insulate the first two metres of hot water pipe nearest the hot water cylinder
- Use compact fluorescent bulbs in the light fittings you use the most
Energy saving measures that pay for themselves in 1-5 years
- Insulate the ceiling
- Use chalking and weather strips to block air gaps around plumbing pipes and electrical cables, windows and doors
- Insulate all your hot water pipes
- Insulate under timber floors
- If your hot water cylinder is not labelled ‘A grade,’ install a cylinder wrap
- Cover wet ground underneath your house with polythene, taping the joints and ensuring a good fit around the piles
Energy saving measures that will pay for themselves in 3-15 years
- Insulate walls when renovating
- Convert to solar hot water heating
- Double-glaze windows
- Install awnings or shades over windows that overheat your home in summer - this will reduce the need for cooling fans and air-conditioning
- Consider installing a heat pump to replace conventional electric heaters