According to the Energy Saving Trust, a typical household could save up to £381 per year by being more savvy about energy consumption and making small changes to how energy is used at home. With ongoing high energy prices, saving energy at home is more important than ever as it can help reduce the pressure on households struggling in the face of the cost of living crisis by keeping energy bills down.
As well as helping to alleviate pressure on households’ pockets, reducing energy consumption at home is also critical to the UK reaching net zero by 2050, with circa 16% of the UK’s emissions coming from our homes in 2021.
In order to help you reduce your energy bills and your carbon footprint at the same time, we have put together some useful tips on how you could save energy and where you can go to get tailored energy saving advice. We have also included information about how you could access grant funding to improve the energy efficiency of your home and bring down your bills through improvements to your home.
Energy saving tips
Energy saving tips
You can start saving energy today by trying out the following tips:
- Bleed your radiators – this takes air out and allows them to heat up quickly and more efficiently
- Set the timer on your central heating so that it is only on when you need it
- Switch your appliances off when not in use, rather than leaving them on standby
- Only boil the amount of hot water that you need for your cup of tea
- Use a lid to cover pots and pans while cooking so that they boil more quickly
- Fill the dishwasher completely before putting it on or use a washing up bowl for smaller loads
- Reduce the number of clothes washes each week and wash your clothes on a cooler setting
- Avoid using the tumble dryer and hang clothes up to dry in a ventilated room
- Use the “eco” setting on your appliances
- Have a shower instead of a bath
Accessing free energy advice
Accessing free energy advice
You could also receive energy advice tailored to you, your home and your energy usage through the Green Doctors scheme or the LEAP scheme.
Depending on where you live, you may be able to access tailored advice on how to save energy and reduce your bills through Green Doctors, a scheme delivered by Groundwork. Green Doctors provide free energy consultations in which they give impartial energy saving advice and support which is specific to you and your home. You can check whether there is a Green Doctors programme offered in your area and find more information here.
Grant funding to improve energy efficiency
Grant funding to improve energy efficiency
Improving the energy efficiency of your home is a great way to reduce your energy consumption and you may be eligible to access grant funding to help you to do so under ECO4 and/or the Great British Insulation Scheme. Please see below for how you could access funding for insulation and other energy efficiency measures under the schemes.
If your home has an EPC rating of D or below, you could be eligible to have insulation installed at your home under the government’s Great British Insulation Scheme. You can apply to check your eligibility for the Great British Insulation scheme here.
If you receive income-related benefits and your home has an EPC rating of D or below, you could also be eligible to access grant funding to help improve the energy efficiency of your home under the government’s ECO4 scheme. You can apply to check your eligibility for ECO4 grant funding here.
