Low-cost measures

You’re already doing all the no-cost energy-saving tips, but what more can you do to save?

If you’re prepared to spend a little, you can really save a lot. Here are some effective, low-cost ways to lower your energy bills further, costing from a few pennies to just a few pounds.

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Energy efficient appliances

Use your appliances more efficiently.

An eco-kettle only boils the exact amount of water you need, saving energy and money
We don’t always remember to turn off every device attached to our computer or TV when they’re not in use – so modems, speakers, scanners and DVD players can be left running even when we think we’ve switched them off. A standby reduction device will automatically turn these off when you switch off your TV or computer. All you have to do is plug the TV or computer into the socket allocated on the standby reduction device and when it’s switched to standby, it automatically turns off all the other devices
Switch to energy-saving light bulbs. They use less than a quarter of the energy of traditional bulbs, last around 10 times longer and could save you £60 over the bulb’s lifetime

Heating your home

Heating efficiency tips.

Heat can escape through even the smallest of gaps. So, install draught excluders – they’re easy to fit brushes or PVC strips on your front and back doors. Covering letterboxes and keyholes will also help
Other common sources of draughts are gaps in floorboards, skirting boards or badly fitting window frames. Fill them with silicone sealant to stop the heat escaping
If you have any chimneys no longer in use, seal them up but make sure you fit a grille. This will reduce the heat lost up the chimney but still provide adequate ventilation for preventing condensation and will make sure there’s enough air for fuel-burning heaters to operate safely and efficiently
Fit aluminium foil or reflective panels behind radiators – you can pick them up at most DIY stores. This reflects heat back into the room which would otherwise be absorbed into the walls and lost

Efficient water measures

Water efficiency tips.

Insulate your hot water tank with a jacket – it only costs a few pounds and, with all the heat it traps in, it pays for itself within months. Fit one that’s at least 75mm thick on an uninsulated tank and you could save around £40 a year
Hot water pipes can be insulated to stop heat escaping from them. The best pipes to insulate are the ones between the boiler and hot water cylinder. Insulating material can be bought from any good DIY store, is easy to fit and costs about £1 per metre. The saving to your heating bills will be around £10 a year.
A water-saving shower head has a power-shower effect and saves water and energy too

Now you can move on to step four

Longer term investments

Low-cost measures

Energy efficient appliances

Heating your home

Efficient water measures

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