Stop burning money, spend less electricity and start saving more money. Use our tips to save money on your energy bills. Spending less energy isn’t just better for the environment – it will save you money.
How much money can I save?
Even without buying new energy-efficient appliances, changing the way you use them can save you quite a lot. For example, tumble drying clothes can cost up to £139 per year if your machine isn’t particularly efficient. You can cut and spend less electricity by following some simple energy-saving tumble drying tips. Leaving all your appliances on standby – or keeping them on when not using them – costs UK households around £30 a year on average, according to the Energy Saving Trust. Although new models are much more energy efficient, remember to unplug older inefficient equipment to cut this down.
Spend less energy with efficient light bulbs
Changing traditional light bulbs to energy-saving equivalents can make a big difference to your bills. Since September 2012, shops can no longer sell traditional incandescent bulbs for household use, but many homes still use them. Traditional bulbs last for an average of one year, but energy-saving bulbs can last up to 10 years. Some LED bulbs can even last 25 years.
Traditional 40W, 60W and 100W bulbs have equivalent low-energy versions, which are rated approximately 8W, 10W and 15-20W respectively. By replacing a 40W traditional bulb with an 8W low-energy one, you have immediately cut your use by 20% for that bulb and hence, spending less energy.
Lighting your home accounts for 18% of the average person’s electricity bill so it’s easy to see how savings can add up. Remember to turn off lights in rooms you are not using.
Monitor your electricity use
Another great way to spend less electricity is to utilize a monitoring tool which measures how much electricity you use and making sure you are getting the best deal are also effective ways to help you cut back. An energy monitor is a small, simple gadget that estimates in real time how much energy you’re using in your home. It shows how different appliances affect your consumption. An energy monitor won’t save you electricity itself, but it will show where you could make savings and let you see the impact when you change your habits.
Other ways to save energy
Buy energy-efficient appliances. Upfront cost should not be the only factor to consider when you buy a new TV, fridge or tumble dryer. The annual running cost of appliances varies a lot and choosing the least efficient models could leave you hundreds of pounds poorer every year. For example, London’s electricians’ tests reveal that tumble dryers can vary between £39 and £139 to run for one year. Unplug your gadget chargers when you’re not using them. If a charger feels warm when it’s plugged in but not attached to a device, it’s still using energy.
It costs less than a penny to charge a phone for eight hours, but unplugging the charger when not in use could make a big environmental impact if everyone does it.