You may find that you are consuming more energy in your house this winter since working from home is likely to become the new normal. But we might be able to take steps to keep this change from hurting our wallets too much.

Furthermore, due to a number of converging factors, such as a pandemic and war, energy costs are spiralling upwards. Indeed, as the Guardian has reported, energy bills are up 54%, or £693 a year on average.

The price cap on energy bills for households in Great Britain has increased by 54%, meaning providers can charge up to £1,971 a year for customers with average use who have a direct debit set up. Average use is 3,100kWh electricity and 12,000kWh gas, so any household using more power will pay more. The cap varies around the country and according to how you pay.

We’ve compiled a list of household energy saving tips for you. To make it easier for you to discover the information you need, they’ve been organised by the type of room. Some initiatives are very simple to implement, while others require a large commitment of time and money, which should be compensated for by the long-term benefits of the measures. Taken together, numerous small adjustments can add up to a considerable saving on your energy bills each month.

Saving energy in the living room

It’s called the living room for a good reason, and because we spend so much time in it, it’s critical that we keep an eye out for ways to reduce our energy use here.

Television

A British household will spend more than 22.5 hours a week in front of a television in 2020, making it a major energy consumer.

1. When shopping for a new television, consider the dimensions and type of screen it has. For example, if you’re concerned about your TV’s energy usage, it’s worth noting that an energy-efficient 32-inch LCD would consume 50% less electricity than a 42-inch plasma screen TV, which is the current trend. In general, the smaller your TV, the less it will cost you to operate.
2. If you buy a new TV, you should expect it to consume less energy when it’s on standby—typically less than one watt. As long as old models are left on standby, they may be using unnecessary energy and costing you more. Even better, turning off appliances at the socket may save the average household between £50 and £60 a year in electricity costs.
3. Choose a TV with an energy-saving trust recommended label to ensure you’re getting a model with the most energy-efficient features possible before you buy it.
4. Turning your TV off while no one is watching is the optimal way to conserve electricity. According to a recent poll, 42% of British families leave their TVs on for about five hours a week just to entertain their pets. When no one is watching TV, it’s a simple matter of turning it off.
5. Turn down the TV’s brightness while it’s on because the default settings are usually set much higher than you need for a great viewing experience. It’s a good idea to also turn on the TV’s ambient light sensor, which can save power usage by automatically altering the contrast of the picture when you’re watching it in a low light environment.
6. Many like to listen to the radio on their TV. This is a useful feature that modern TVs have, but you can save energy if you switch on the radio screen blanking.
7. It’s all too easy to nod off to sleep when watching TV late in the evening. A bad habit to break as soon as possible is watching TV before going to sleep. In addition to wasting energy, having the TV on while you’re sleeping is hazardous to your health since it interferes with your ability to fall asleep.

Computers

If, like many others adapting to a new normal, you plan on working from home in the future, it’s important to know how to keep your computer from consuming too much power.

8. If you don’t need a desktop computer, get a laptop instead, which is smaller and uses less energy because of that.
9. Like with TVs and other home electrical devices, newer models and monitors are more environmentally friendly than previous models and monitors in terms of power consumption. You might want to consider purchasing a newer and more energy-efficient model if you are still working with an older one.
10. Additionally, newer computers are quicker to boot up and go into sleep mode, making it less enticing to leave your computer plugged in for extended periods of time. Moreover, if you don’t use your laptop for a while, switch it off to save money.
11. Using either sleep or hibernation mode will turn off the monitor after a certain period of inactivity, which will save energy and reduce the amount of electricity your computer consumes.
12. Wherever feasible, print with an inkjet printer to save energy rather than a laser printer, which consumes more power. When it comes to printing out tickets for the cinema or other ticketed events, it’s best to avoid it unless absolutely essential. Typically, you can just show the ticket on your smart phone.

Kitchen energy saving

There are several ways to reduce the amount of energy consumed in the kitchen, where most of the most energy-intensive consumer appliances are found.

13. The microwave will use much less energy than an oven to both cook and heat your food. The microwave’s smaller size (compared to the oven) allows it to heat food more quickly and directly.
14. To save time and energy, use a kettle to boil water, then move the boiled water to a pan on the heat for steaming and boiling. Boiling it directly on the hob, even with a lid on, will use more energy and take longer.
15. When boiling food in the pan, just use the water necessary to completely cover the food you’re cooking; wasting energy by heating water that you won’t use is wasteful.
16. When boiling water, don’t overfill the kettle to save £11 a year on your utility bill.
17. For individuals who prefer to prep their meals while they’re gone or doing other things, slow cookers are a terrific, energy-efficient addition to any kitchen.
18. Cook as much as you can at once in the oven to make the most of the available space and heat. Heating a single pasty in a large oven is wasteful.
19. When you’re cooking, keep the oven door closed. The oven loses up to 25 degrees of heat every time you open the door, which means it takes more electricity to heat back up.
20. Defrost frozen food in advance to cut cooking time in half and save energy.
21. Frequent defrosting of your refrigerator freezer will keep it running at its best and using less energy.
22. Take note of how long your oven takes to pre-heat, so you’re ready to start cooking as soon as it’s up to the right temperature. Many modern cookers will sound a beep to let you know when the set temperature has been reached.
23. Keeping the backs of your refrigerator and freezer clean can assist in keeping them running as effectively as possible.
24. Everyone loves a Sunday roast, and boiling the potatoes first, then roasting them in the oven, cuts down on cooking time.
25. Instead of using metal trays and plates in the oven, use glass or ceramic ones instead. Metal loses heat more quickly than glass or ceramic, so they are the best materials to use in an oven.
26. If you’re preparing a huge piece of meat like a joint, you may want to chop it into smaller pieces in order to speed up the cooking process.
27. Use a convection or fan-assisted oven, which circulates heat throughout the food while it cooks, to get the best results. Because you don’t have to crank up the heat as much as you would in a conventional oven, this is more eco-friendly.
28. You can switch off your electric oven 10 minutes before the meal is done cooking. The oven’s temperature will remain constant, allowing the meal to cook to completion without the oven using any additional energy. Think how much cooking time this will add up to in a year.
29. To save energy by not heating a larger surface area than necessary, make sure that the size of your pan corresponds to the amount of food you’re cooking.
30. You can save a lot of energy by choosing the right sized hob for the pan you are using. For example, if you use a small hob for a large pan, it will take ,much longer to heat your food and more energy in the long run.

Saving energy in the laundry and drying room

Even if you don’t have a designated utility room for your washing machine or tumble dryer, it’s ideal to know how to reduce the amount of energy these appliances require.

Washing machine 

31. Use cold water or a 30°C cycle whenever you can. Warmer temperatures are only necessary for especially soiled clothes and reducing the amount of hot water you use may save you electricity and around £28 each year.
32. Having said this, if you typically utilise low temperature settings, you should still occasionally do hot water washes to help get rid of bacteria and prevent bad smells from building up in your washing machine.
33. Use the shortest cycle possible while washing your clothes. Reduced heating and a shortened cycle also mean less water is used, which in turn saves water and energy and reduces damage to clothes in the machine.
34. In addition to pre-treating collars with regular soap, it’s a good idea to soak things, especially particularly unclean things, before running them through the washing machine. You won’t have to worry about having to redo a wash thanks to stubborn stains.
35. The rapid wash option can be used if your load is less than full, but if you can prevent it, wait until you have a full basket to avoid wasting water and energy. Similarly, try not to overdo it with overloading the washing machine, or you’ll wind up having to rewash certain items, which will waste electricity.
36. You won’t have to bother about tumble drying if you can utilise a fast spin speed to get your garments practically dry out of the washing machine.

Tumble dryer

37. If possible, keep your tumble dryer in a place that is reasonably warm. For example, in an outside shed, it will take much longer to heat up and therefore use more energy.
38. Instead of running a timed cycle, use the auto-dry mode to conserve electricity. This will help prevent using more energy than is required.
39. Don’t overload your dryer, just like you would with your dishwasher or washing machine. For the hot air to function properly, there has to be some wiggle space.
40. Remove the clothing from the dryer as soon as it is dry enough. To avoid creasing, many machines continue to rotate, which wastes electricity.
41. A second or third load can make use of the heat already built up in the machine if you perform all of your drying in one day.
42. It’s important to keep your dryer’s filters clean so that the machine can run more efficiently.
43. Make sure the exterior vent (if it has one) is working correctly and isn’t clogged with dust or debris.
44. You can save £60 or more a year if you can dry your clothes without using a tumble dryer. For example, hanging them outside on a clothes horse.

Bathroom energy saving

Hot water takes energy to heat, and so the focus for this room should be on the amount of water you consume.

45. Shower heads that consume less hot water but yet deliver a powerful shower should be on your list of priorities if you’re concerned about water use.
46. You may save money and water by using a shower timer to cut down on the amount of time you spend in it. As a general rule, a four-minute shower a day may save an average family of four £70 on their bill.
47. To avoid wasting more than six litres of water per minute when brushing your teeth or washing your face, turn off the tap.
48. Dripping taps and other leaks can waste a large amount of water over time. Keeping your plumbing in good working order can reduce this and save you money as well as water, which is a vital resource.
49. Adjust the water pressure in your shower if it’s too high. You might be surprised to learn that a bath uses less water than a power shower with high pressure.
50. However, if you take a four-minute shower instead of a bath once a week, you may save about £12.

Save energy and money on your boiler and central heating

51. You may save up to £60 a year by lowering your thermostat by one degree, and you won’t even notice the change.
52. A 75mm boiler insulation jacket can help you keep your water hotter for longer and save money on electricity. A new one is simple to install and may save up to £150 a year.

 

53. Consider replacing your old boiler. Although it involves a significant cost upfront, you can get a new boiler that is more energy efficient as well as improve your home’s safety with a more modern boiler.
54. By changing the thermostats in each room, you can make your central heating system heat only the rooms you are in.
55. You can add chemical inhibitors to your central heating system to stop rust and make sure it always works well.
56. Rearrange your furniture to keep it away from wall radiators, which will allow the room’s warm air to circulate more freely.
57. If your radiators aren’t operating as efficiently as they should, you’ll want to bleed them to get rid of any trapped air.
58. You can turn off the heating in unused rooms by turning off the radiator valves.
59. When you put reflector panels behind your radiators, less heat will escape through the walls.
60. A thorough overhaul or replacement may be warranted for central heating systems that are old and inefficient. If the central heating has seen better days, it’s possible that the rest of the property is, too, so this might be incorporated into a larger renovation project.