Energy saving tips for your home

Fancy saving a few quid on your energy bills? You’ll be surprised how simple some changes could be…

🕑 7 minute read

In fact, with just a couple of changes to your house, you could keep your home warmer for longer, help reduce your carbon footprint and you could shrink your energy costs – you might even add some value to your property.

Energy saving light bulbs

One of the quickest and simplest changes that will make a difference to your energy bills is to replace all your home’s current lighting with energy saving bulbs.

Light bulbs have come a long way, and the old-school filament bulbs have given way to much more efficient LED bulbs. LED bulbs don’t need any time to get warmed up either – they’ll switch on at full brightness straight away.

If you replace all the bulbs in your home with LED lights, you could make savings on your electricity bills.

Source: Octopus Energy

Cavity wall insulation

Keep the warmth in and the cold out by installing cavity wall insulation.

This is a simple fix with long-lasting effects. You essentially fill in the gap between the outside and inside walls of your home with dense, insulating material.

Is it right for you? If your home was built after the 1920s, it will probably have cavity walls, meaning there will be a gap between the bricks on the outside and the plasterboard on the inside. Cavity walls are good at preventing damp but bad at retaining heat when they’re not properly insulated.

Source: Energy Saving Trust

Solid wall insulation

Do you own a home built before the 1920s? If so, it’ll probably have solid walls – but you can still insulate them to save energy.

Solid wall insulation goes on the outside of your home, covering up old bricks with attractive and colourful cladding.

It’s more expensive than insulating a cavity wall, but the savings make it worthwhile in the long run.

As with cavity wall insulation, you could look into getting a grant. Which could help make energy-saving improvements to your home more affordable.

Source: MoneySuperMarket

Loft insulation

Heat rises – so as well as lining your walls, you may also want to look at how much heat is escaping through your roof. According to the Energy Saving Trust, you could be losing up to a quarter of your home’s heat if you haven’t insulated your loft.

There are different kinds of loft insulation available depending on your home. You can also choose to install it yourself to save a little extra.

As with wall insulation, you may be able to help pay for your loft insulation through schemes such as ECO.

Solar panels

Even in cloudy Britain, you’ll be surprised how much you could save with solar panels.

And not only is powering your home with solar energy good for your monthly bills, it’s good for the environment too.

There are two types of panels:

Solar PV panels. These panels convert energy from the sun into energy for your home. They don’t need direct sunlight to work, so they’ll still charge on cloudy days.
Solar water heating. Instead of heating your home, these solar panels heat your hot water tank.

Although solar panels can cost more to install, the energy they generate is free. And, if you have an electric car, you can use the energy generated from the solar panels to charge it at home too. That would make you an eco-superstar!

Source: The Eco Experts

Better still, since 2020, energy companies are obliged to purchase your excess solar energy from you, under a law passed by the government to increase the amount of ‘green’ energy on the grid. So, not only could you save money, you could make money too.

Source: Energy Saving Trust

Ground source heat pumps

Here’s an idea you may not have considered: generating energy from the ground under your home.

Ground source heat pumps (GSHPs) are buried in your garden and absorb heat from the ground.

They work by using fluid-filled loops that get warmed up by thermal energy underground. The fluid in the loops is pushed through a compressor that increases its temperature, while the earth keeps the pipes insulated.

This type of heating can lower your fuel bills, reduce your carbon footprint, and you could make money back for the energy you produce under the government’s Renewable Heat Incentive.

Double glazing

One of the simplest and most effective ways to keep your home warmer for longer is to double glaze your windows.

Many homes already have double glazing but if you have an older house this may not be the case for you.

As well as keeping the heat in, they have the added bonus of keeping noise out. Plus, double glazing helps to reduce drafts and prevent condensation.

Draught insulation

A great first step, and you’ll notice how much cosier your home feels right away.

If you’ve felt draughts in your home, you may already know exactly where you need insulating. Not only will it help to keep warmth in, it will protect against damp and condensation too – so it’s good for your health as well as your heating bills.

You can install draught proofing yourself or get a professional to do it. Remember, even simple things like putting draught excluders under doors or blocking up old chimneys can have a big impact.

Energy-saving kettle

Only filling the kettle with the water you need will help you shave some money off your energy bills. But if you want to make sure you’re being as thrifty as possible each time you make a brew, look for an energy-saving kettle.

These models boil water faster than the average kettle – taking around three minutes to reach the boil compared to the four or five minutes it takes others.

It means you’ll end up using less electricity each time you make yourself a tea – which will make that cuppa taste even better.

Smart thermostats

A smart thermostat helps you save money by heating your home more intelligently.

It’ll learn the best way to keep you warm at home while using the minimum possible energy. The more you use it, the more efficient it will become.

Boiler upgrade

Depending on how old your boiler is, it may be worth upgrading to a newer model that’s more efficient and reliable.

This could prove expensive, but a new boiler should make you significant savings in the long-term.

Last updated March 2023