One of the best ways to save money on your energy bills is by cutting back on your usage. Here’s our top energy saving tips to cut the cost of your bills.
Why save energy?
The main benefit of cutting back how much energy you use in the home is you’ll save money on your energy bills, but making your home more energy efficient can also have huge environmental benefits.
Here’s our top energy savings tips to help you save money on your bills and benefit the environment.
1. Turn off all your appliances
Appliances left on standby use a lot of electricity when you’re not even using them.
If you turn all your household appliances off when not in use you could cut up to 20% off your electricity bills. Here’s a list of the worst culprits:
- TVs
- Laptops & desktop PCs
- Games consoles
- Set-top boxes
- HDR recorders
- Digital radios
- Mobile chargers
2. Turn your heating down a notch
Heating costs make up a huge portion of our energy bills, so conserving heat is a great way to make some savings.
- Turn your heating down by one degree and you could knock 10% off your heating bill.
- Seal your windows and doors to make sure you’re not losing heat due to draughts.
- Close your curtains at night to conserve heat, even in empty rooms.
- Don’t hang curtains over radiators because that will funnel all your heat out the window.
3. Take a shower
If you are fond of long, deep baths or power showers, you may be using more energy than you need heating the water.
- Opt for a shower rather than a bath to use less heated water.
- Shorten the length of your shower time.
- Dial down the pressure if you have a power shower so you’re not heating more water than needed.
4. Cook efficiently
A lot of household energy is used in the kitchen and there are many little changes you can make to save money.
- Only heat the water you need If you are making tea for one, just fill the kettle for one cup.
- Use a microwave if you regularly reheat meals, rather than using energy to heat your oven.
- Match your pan size to your burner on the hob and cover your food when it is cooking to keep heat in.
- Steam your vegetables or use less water for boiling.
- Conserve heat: Only pre-heat your oven for the specified time, defrost food before cooking and keep the oven door shut while cooking.
- Use a slow cooker wherever possible; they are energy-efficient and perfect for family meals.
- Use your dishwasher only when full.
5. Keep your fridge & freezer cool
Ensuring your fridge-freezer runs efficiently can be a big help when it comes to saving energy.
- Place the fridge-freezer out of direct sunlight or appliances that generate heat.
- Keep the coils free from dust and 10cm away from the wall to ensure maximum efficiency.
- Set your fridge temperature between 3 and 5°C and your freezer at -18 °C.
- Defrost your freezer regularly so there is no build-up of ice.
- Maintain the fridge-freezer at a steady temperature.
- Make sure food is cool before putting it in the fridge.
6. Hang your clothes out to dry
The tumble dryer is one of the most expensive appliances in our homes, using around 2.5 kWh per hour so use it sparingly.
- Dry your clothes outside if possible or on a clothes horse next to a radiator.
- Wash your clothes at a lower temperature it uses less energy and costs you less.
There are some great energy-saving gadgets and tools to help you cut back even more on your energy bills. Some of the best savings are available with:
- Energy-efficient lightbulbs: they cost a fraction of the cost of traditional lightbulbs to run and could save you up to €22 a year, depending on the power of the bulb.
- Radiator boosters: designed to move the hot air around the room and away from the radiator and the windows, which ensures you have a consistent even room temperature.
- Solar chargers: mean you can charge your phone for free - simply leave the charger by the window during the day and then plug your phone into the solar charger at night.
- Draft excluders: fixed to doors and your letterbox will make a noticeable impact on your heating bills.
- Chimney balloons: can stop heat escaping up into your chimney and the cold descending down into your home.
- Lagging jacket and insulation: add to pipes will keep your water hotter for longer and reduce the amount of time the boiler is on.
8. Switch your gas & electricity supplier
The best way to reduce your energy costs is to switch to a discounted deal using our free gas and electricity comparison service. Here’s an example of the money you could save:
- Electricity: The average user on a typical standard tariff can save up to €315 by switching to the cheapest electricity deal, and those with higher usage stand to save even more.
- Gas: The average user on a standard tariff can save up to €454 and even more if you live in a large household.
Source: Switcher.ie
