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How to Save Money and Fight the Energy Crisis

Wednesday, 9 November 2022 12:47

The doubling of energy bills has led to both concerns and confusion.

To make it clear there is no maximum energy bill that you can receive. The price cap refers to the unit price of energy, much like the unit price for petrol. So what can we all do to cut our energy bills and stay warm and well?

TOP TIPS FROM THE FOOTPRINT TRUST

Zone your home: Only fully heat the room you are in between 18 to 21 degrees. Turn the heating off when you are not in. Save around £200 to £400 per year.

Bright idea: Replace all traditional light bulbs with LEDs.

Load it up: Make sure you have a full load before putting on your washing machine. But don’t overfill it or clothes will not clean properly. Save £30 per year in water and energy charges.

Dry naturally: Where possible, dry clothes on a line or airer instead of using a tumble dryer. Save around £100 per year. Turn stuff off: You could reduce your fuel bill by around £100 a year by turning stuff off when not in use or on standby.

Wrap-up warm: Insulate your home, this can be free for households on low income. Saving around £500 per year in energy.

Shorter showers: Reducing your shower time to four minutes — the length of a pop song — could save a family of four £280 a year.

Stop the wind: Sealing up gaps in doors and windows to keep the heat in. Draughts can make you feel colder – so you turn up the heat higher than necessary. Save about £50-£100 a year.

Fix dripping taps: A hot tap left dripping could cost around £70 per year in water and fuel costs.

Boil what you need: Only boil enough water for what you need but always cover the element. Keep any unused hot water in a thermos flask, this will save heating it back up again later. This could save you about £25 per year.

Wrap up warm and turn it down: If you turn the thermostat down by just 1˚C, you will save up to 10% off your heating bill. Around £100 per year.

Keep it covered: Keep saucepan lids on and turn down the heat. Use the right size pan for the food and hob ring. Save £5-£15 per year. Better still use a microwave oven.

Air-fryers are money savers: Using up to five times less energy than a conventional oven, using one of these could save you £100 per year.

HOW MUCH WILL IT SAVE?

That depends on how good you are at saving energy already. But you could easily knock as much as £200 off your annual household energy bill and reduce your carbon dioxide emissions by about a tonne.

Contact the Footprint Trust’s Warmahome project for details of grants and other help available info@footprint-trust.co.uk. Tel 822282. footprint-trust.co.uk.

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