Energy saving around the home: every little counts!
You may have seen the energy company Ovo in the news last year, when they were forced to issue a public apology after suggesting on their blog that ways to reduce energy use at home could include cuddling a pet or loved ones, or doing some star jumps, to stay warm, rather than boosting the heating.
Whilst we fully appreciate that these kind of tips may seem trite if you are facing a crisis and unable to afford energy bills due to recent astronomic rises, we also don’t want to write off the value of smaller acts that we can all take to reduce energy use at home.
Start small (and free!)
The vast majority of the suggestions in the following checklist are free to carry out, and are really a case of shifting habits that are ingrained for many of us. Why not challenge yourself to see how many you can try – some of them might stick, and when it comes to energy saving, every little counts!
You could also try the new interactive online tool, developed by MSE and the Energy Institute, to see the energy savings that can be made in different rooms of the house: check it out here.
Switch off lights whenever they are not needed (if you figure out how to get your kids to do this, please let us know!)
Switch off devices on standby at the plug, and unplug charging cables – these ‘vampire devices’ suck energy even when you are not using them. Doing this could save you up to £35 per year, according to the Energy Saving Trust.
Run your washing machine for one less cycle a week if possible (that could save you £8 per year), and ‘if it’s not dirty, wash at 30°’ - modern detergents perform well at this temperature.
Hang out your washing wherever possible (ideally outdoors), rather than using the tumble drier, which guzzles electricity (each cycle costs around £1.50 on average)
Microwaving food rather than using the oven uses much less electricity – if you switched cooking methods completely, you could save up to £80 per year. A slow cooker is also worth considering, as even six hours’ use, to really tenderise meat in a casserole, for example, would only cost around 33p at current unit prices (and means you can buy cheaper cuts to use) - get inspiration for your recipes on websites such as BBC Good Food.
Cutting down on one dishwasher run per week could also save you £8 per year – also ensure the dishwasher is fully stacked each time you run it (or wash up instead if you only have a few items)
Limiting your shower to 4 mins (and choosing a shower over a bath, as long as your shower isn’t super long!) could add up to a £35 annual saving per person.
Turning your thermostat down by 1 degree can save on average £115 per year on your heating bills - try to keep it at 18 degrees (or lower) if you can, as long as you or others in the home are not elderly, very young, or have health conditions which require a warm house
Bleed radiators so they run more efficiently - find some instructions here.
Consider turning down your boiler’s ‘flow pressure’, if you have a condensing combi boiler - reducing the temperature that the water is heated to before being sent round to your radiators (which doesn’t actually affect the temperature of your home) can save around 8% on your normal bills, and also contributes to reducing carbon emissions - read more here.
In winter, close doors to unheated rooms so you are not wasting energy heating rooms which do not need it
Use draft excluders around drafty doors and windows – you can make your own if you are feeling crafty!
Martin Lewis’s Money Saving Expert site has a section called ‘heat the human not the home’, focused on tips to keep warm at home without needing to heat the house – check it out for some practical ideas this winter.
Spend a little, save a lot…
In addition to the above tips, we have some further energy-saving ideas which do involve some initial outlay - however if you are in a position to be able to invest in these, they will make a real difference in the long run.
Replace your usual bulbs with LEDs or other energy-saving bulbs when time comes - they last much longer and use less energy when on.
Smart radiator valves are worth looking into – you can program the times and temperature for the radiator to come on in a particular room so you don’t heat areas unnecessarily. Check out our section on how to apply for energy-saving grants as this is one of the initiatives that they may cover - and read more about how these valves work here.
Easy DIY options to keep the heat in include covering your windows with secondary glazing film, and putting tin foil behind radiators to reflect warmth back into the room. Some of the local energy advice organisations listed below will come round to your home to advise on options and carry out these kind of services, so do check them out.
You could also consider fitting a hot water cylinder jacket if it is not currently well-insulated, meaning you are wasting money on re-heating the water once it’s cooled. Look for the British Standard Kitemark when purchasing a jacket (which should be at least 80mm thick) - you can normally fit these yourself. Savings could be up to £50 per year, as insulating the hot water cylinder can reduce up to 75% of heat loss.
Instead of heating the house or even just your room at night, invest in an electric blanket for your bed, which works out far cheaper – you can pre-warm the bed for a toasty bedtime- and a hot water bottle is an even cheaper alternative for this!
Consider purchasing a heated airer, which are relatively inexpensive to buy and cheap to run, and can dry your clothes in a few hours
When the time comes for new white goods, if possible budget for and purchase an energy-efficient appliance – this may be more expensive than some models, but should save you money in the long run as it will draw less energy when in use and therefore keep your bills down (and of course is better for the environment too.)
Looking for an alternative to your pricey-to-use oven? An air-fryer could be the answer - these worktop-sized appliances are much cheaper to run than conventional ovens and some are large enough to even fit e.g. a roast chicken in, so you could still cook your Sunday lunch! Compare the typical £3.87 cost of using your oven for 90 minutes to 65p for the same result from 50 minutes in the fryer.
Look into help available through the ECO4 scheme - click here to find out more about help available with insulation, solar panels and boiler replacement, for households who meet the application criteria.
Help from local experts
We know of some great local organisations that provide free, impartial advice to residents on how to reduce energy usage in their homes, lower their bills, and keep their home warmer for less. They often carry out home visits and can make recommendations, signpost to other sources of help and arrange for certain energy-saving services and devices to be provided at no cost to the households they support.
So far, we’ve focused on those that support residents of the boroughs that Crosslight’s catchment covers. We’d love to hear from you if you have suggestions for others in different areas that we can add to our list - please email lorelei.freeman@crosslightadvice.org with details if so!
Green Doctors (covering Ealing, Hammersmith & Fulham, Hounslow, Kensington & Chelsea and Westminster boroughs)
South London Healthy Homes (covering Lambeth, Richmond & Wandsworth boroughs)
South West London Energy Advice Partnership (covering the boroughs of Richmond, Wandsworth & Merton)
For a list of all London boroughs and the energy advice organisations that support their residents, click here.