Top Tips for Becoming More Energy Efficient at Home This Winter

With a cold snap on the way, what’s the best way to stay warm in our homes for less this winter?

Keep the cold at bay by setting your thermostat to 18-20 degrees which will help your home stay warm while not pushing your gas bills sky high. And let's not forget the longer nights pushing up our electricity bills with all those lights on for longer. Here's a few simple tricks to keep costs down:

Get Smart

Have you gone smart yet? A smart meter or indeed a smart thermostat, can bring a whole host of benefits. Allowing you to track the amount of gas or electricity you’re using in real time and control your bills at the touch of a button. Which you can even do remotely with a smart thermostat.

Insulation

Insulating your property prevents heat escaping, trapping the warm air where you want it – inside with you. By ensuring your windows and doors are well sealed and that walls, lofts and foundations are properly insulated you can reduce heat loss by 25-50%, thus keeping you warmer for longer and reducing your bills.

Swapping Your Light Bulbs

Switching from halogen to LED or energy saving bulbs reduces energy consumption saving you around £35 a year just from making this one quick switch. Remember that LED and energy saving bulbs tend to have a much longer lifespan too, so this little switch is one that will see you making savings over years to come.

Upgrade Your Appliances

Replacing old household appliances allows you to reduce the amount of electricity used while ensuring enhanced performance, resulting in lower energy bills in the long and the short term. So while investment may be greater, long term savings will be made when you upgrade your appliances.

For more information on energy saving around the home visit The Energy Saving Trust.