Big Energy Saving Week 2021
Making simple changes to our daily activities can help us save energy, money and of course it benefits the environment. These small changes can add up to a big difference and our home becomes more energy-efficient.
2021 marks the 8th Big Energy Saving Week 2021, running from 18th to 24th January, is part of a national campaign where Citizens Advice, the Energy Saving Trust and the Department of Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy work together in partnership.
The campaign raises awareness and encourages people to look at how they can save energy, reduce bills by switching energy supplier or tariff to get the best deals, and how find out if they are eligible for financial support in the form of discounts and grants.
Energy Saving Tips for Every Room in Your Home
There are many things we can do ourselves which don’t cost us a penny and will reduce our energy bills and start saving money straight away. Here’s our top energy savings tips for every room in your home to help get you started.
Turn Down Your Thermostat
By turning down your thermostat just one degree, you will cut your heating bills immediately.
Most families are happy with the temperature being between 18˚C and 21˚C, but this will also depend on your heating system, how well your house is insulated and the layout of your home. Smart heating technology can help by automating home energy usage and automatically regulated it.
Take a Shower, not a bath
Did you know that a five minute shower uses around a third of the water of a bath?
Using less water equals means it takes less energy to heat the hot water.
If you have a water meter, you will cut your water bill too! Fitting a water efficient shower head will use even less water and energy and save a household of four around £70 a year off gas or electricity bills and around £115 a year off water bills.
Change Your Lightbulbs
Swapping traditional bulbs to LEDs (Light Emitting Diodes) or CFL (Compact Fluorescent Lamps) will save you money on the electricity bill.
Don’t forget to turn your lights off when you’re not using them, even if its just for a few seconds, you will save more energy than it takes for the light to start up again and could save you around £14 a year on your annual energy bills.
Save Energy on your Utilities
Tumble dryers use a considerable amount of electricity to heat the air they use, in addition to running the fan and motor.
The most energy efficient ways to dry your clothes is outside when possible or, if you have to use the tumble dryer, using the fast spin setting on your washing machine to get as much water out before drying them.
You can also save energy when washing clothes by making sure you always have a full load and use the lowest temperature where possible, 30˚C is often enough to get things clean.
Improve Your Insulation
Draught-proofing window, doors or blocking cracks in floors and skirting boards can save around £20 a year on energy bills.
You can also insulate almost any part of your home to avoid heat loss and make it more energy efficient. Insulating a loft is a relatively easy DIY job (clearing the loft out will probably take longer).
The Roll TLX Silver Multi-Foil Insulation (12 m2) is easy to install and highly recommended. This insulation can be used either on its own or combined with rigid foam thermal insulation boards.
It uses layers of infra-red reflecting film to reflect heat back into insulation containment cells.
When it comes to cavity wall insulation, generally houses built from the 1990s onwards have wall insulation, but if your house is older then you will need to check. There are government grants available to help you with the cost of cavity and loft insultation, you can find out if you are eligible here. Take a look at our insulation products for lofts and wall insulation and keep your house cosy this winter.
Switching Energy Suppliers
If you want to switch energy supplier but don’t know where to start, take a look at Citizens Advice. It’s free and totally independent to compare energy suppliers and they give a customer service rating for the major energy companies.
How to Access Benefits & Grants
If you live in England, the Green Homes Grant can provide vouchers worth up to two thirds of the cost of upgrading the energy efficiency of their home.
You can check if your home is eligible for a Green Home Grant on the UK Government website. You might also be able to take advantage of certain benefits, grants and help offered by the government and energy suppliers with bills. Take a look at the Citizens Advice website here for further information.
If you want any further energy saving tips or how you can make your home more energy efficient, get in touch with our experts who will be happy to give you further advice.
Energy saving stats quoted are from Big Energy Week – 20 Ways to Save by The Citizens Advice, Department for Business, Energy & Industrial Strategy and Energy Saving Trust.
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