With rising energy costs it’s easy to see why so many people are struggling to pay their energy bills. Some people have experienced their bills doubling even when consuming the same amount of energy as they usually do.
The rising energy costs is due to many factors but one of the main ones being COVID-19. The supply and demand of energy increased and thus pushed prices up for consumers.
But what can we do to save some money on our energy bills? In this article we’re going to go through some ways you can save money on your energy bills, specifically your electricity and gas bills.
1. Comparison Sites
Comparing your energy bills on can sometimes help you to save money. Switching suppliers doesn’t take long and with comparison sites it’s even easier. All you have to do is enter a few quick details and it’ll bring you up some quotes and you’ll be able to save money on your energy bills.
Some good sites include Uswitch, GoCompare and Confused.com. For those living in the states they can try Powerswitch and Choose Eneregy
2. Get a Smart Meter
Most homes already have a smart meter installed nowadays. But if you don’t have one it’s a good time to get one. If you don’t have a smart meter, just call up your supplier and they should install one for you free of charge.
Not only does it send meter readings automatically but you can also keep track of your spending and usage. Another cool thing is you can track energy usage in real time from your smartphone so even when you’re out and about you can stay on top of your energy bills.
3. Monitor Energy
Using apps like Green Outlet and Energy Cost Calculator you can monitor With this you can see the energy usage of your household appliances. This app provides a list of common appliances and tells you how much energy each appliance typically uses per month.
You can then easily track which appliances are using the most energy and and forecast how much your monthly bills will be. Based on this data you can also use less of the appliances that use more energy.
4. Insulation
Properly insulating your home can help you to save a good amount of money on your energy bills. If your home is not properly insulated heating can escape through the gaps and through the walls meaning you would need to constantly use more heating to warm up your home.
To get your home insulated, you would need to get a specialist in who would drill holes in your walls and inject insulation material into them.
Depending on the size of your house it can cost up to £8,000 (about $10,000) to correctly insulate your house but you could save around £300 (about $400) per year on energy bills.
5. Use less hot water
Did you know if each person in your household showers for one minute less than they usually do, you could save £4 per person each year. It does add up and over the years it can give you a substantial saving.
If you find it hard to shower for less time then consider getting a timer or just setting a timer on your phone. When the timer hits zero it’s time to get out!
6. Get Energy Efficient Appliances
A-Rated fridge/freezer could save you £192 over the lifetime of the appliance. You might not think that’s a lot but if you have 5-6 appliances throughout the house, the saving can compound. This is not any extra effort from yourself either. It’s just you purchasing more energy efficient appliances which you can purchase from any electrical retailers.
7. Switch things off
While this one is common sense and some people actually do it, you would be surprised at the amount of people who don’t actually turn things off when they’re not using it. In many households the TV is on for the pets or even worse when no one is watching it for hours at a time!
Switching things off when you’re not using them can potentially help you to save £50-£100 per year off your energy bills.
8. Upgrade your boiler
If you have an older boiler, switching it for a newer model can help you save upto 30% on energy costs. Replacing an old gas boiler with a modern energy efficient model is a great way to cut your heating costs and reduce your carbon footprint.
The industry average to replace a boiler is every 10 years and while a new gas boiler can set you back around £800 – £1000 for a new one, it definitely is worth it in the long run.
9. Kitchen Foil
Have you got kitchen foil around the house? Not only is kitchen foil great for wrapping up food but it’s also great for keeping you warm!
Put kitchen foil behind radiators to reflect more heat back into the room. Just put some foil up on some cardboard on the radiator and you’ll feel the warmth!
10. 30 degree Wash
Did you know that the washing machine is one of the appliances that uses the most electricity in the house?
To make sure you are saving electricity and being as efficient as possible it is better to wash your clothes at 30 degrees. Modern detergents wash just as well with less power. Also make sure you gather all the clothes you need to wash and try to put them in one load instead of splitting them up as this uses less energy.
11. Wash at night
Washing your clothes at different times of the day can help you save money. For example if you use your washing machine at peak times during the day, you would end up paying more. But if you use your washing machine at non peak times at say 10PM – 5AM you would end up using less electricity.
Also if you can, you can gather all the clothes that need washing and wash them once a week, instead of a few times a week.
12. Use free entertainment
You can save money by not only forgoing the Television but you can instead replace days out, cinema, attractions with the library, park and festivals. You might be compromising slightly but it will be saving you money in the long run.
There are plenty of ways you can save money by doing free things instead like going to the park, the library, beach, festivals, carnivals and more. You can just search for ‘free events near me’ and a bunch will come up for you.
Conclusion
Energy prices have shot up in recent times but there is not reason why you can’t save money if you make some cutbacks.
If you follow the tips in this article you will be able to save money on your energy bills.