Being efficient with your electricity doesn’t have to require a big investment, making a few small changes to your everyday habits can make a big difference to the cost of your energy bill: Here are our top 10 tips to help you save money on your electricity bill.
1. Ditch The Standby Habit – Switch Appliances Off And Save
Appliances that aren’t in use or charging should be switched off at the socket. Whilst putting them on standby might be tempting, they still use up electricity – The Energy Savings Trust states that breaking the standby habit can save you up to £80 a year.
2. Change your Habits in the kitchen to save Electricity
Changing your habits in the kitchen can result in savings on your energy bill too:
• Only boil the water you need in the kettle rather than filling it right up for just one cup of tea.
• When using the cooker, keep lids on pots to reduce cooking time.
• After your meal, use the economy cycle on your dishwasher and run the wash when it’s full.
• Avoid putting warm food into your fridge or freezer as this makes it work harder and use more energy.
3. Use Energy Efficient Lightbulbs
Lighting typically accounts for 10%-20%, of your electricity bill and whilst older, incandescent light bulbs are slowly being phased out by EU legislations, they may still be installed in your house. The cost of purchasing energy efficient bulbs is slightly higher initially costing around £4. However, they have longer life expectancies and each bulb can save you up to £9 on your annual electricity bill. In addition to this, make sure your lights are switched off when not in use.
4. Check for faulty or old wiring
If the wiring in your house is old or even faulty this can increase your electric bills quite substantially as problems with wiring can cause electricity leakage. It may also be that your old wiring set up is overloaded with all of the modern appliances and tech in your home. Have a qualified electrician check your wiring as it may be necessary for you to rewire your home.
5. Wash At Lower Temperatures To Shrink Your Bills Not Your Clothes
It’s estimated your washing machine alone makes up for 7% of your total energy bill, and 90% of this energy is used heating the water up – washing at a lower temperature (30c-40c) and ensuring the load is full before a wash can save you a significant amount on your overall energy bills. You may still need to use higher temperatures on whites but try to save these all up for one wash. When it comes to drying, substitute your tumble dryer for a clothes horse, radiator or airing cupboard.
6. Check Energy Labels Before Buying Appliances
Most new household appliances should come with an energy rating label from the manufacturer. There you will find an A-G rating of how energy efficient that appliance is – with a figure in kWh per annum. British Gas estimate that by choosing a more energy efficient freezer you can knock off £46 from your bill each year and a tumble dryer up to £94!
7. Downsize To Save Money – Smaller Appliances Use Less Electricity
As well as taking note of energy ratings, you should consider the size that best suits your needs when choosing your home appliances. A half empty fridge or freezer is adding to your electricity bill unnecessarily, where a smaller one could do the same job and save you money. This applies to all household appliances including TV’s, washing machines, tumble dryers, cookers and dishwashers.
8. Make The Most Of Your Smart Meter
Smart Meters are set to be rolled out as standard across the country by the end of 2020, although there will be no legal obligation to have one. Smart Meters will enable to consumers to measure exactly how much gas and electricity you are using – enabling you to better manage your energy use, save money and reduce emissions.
9. Get Your Children Involved In Energy Saving
Getting your children involved with your electricity saving can be a great way to make them more conscious of their energy use. Play energy saving games and ask them to spot areas of their house where electricity is being wasted by left on lights and appliances. If your kids are of the teenage variety try to encourage them to switch off their tech when they leave the room and ensure you teach them to always switch off their lights in the bedrooms when they leave the room!
10. Switch and Save – Don’t Pay Overpay For Your Electricity
Following all our tips for saving electricity in your home is a great start to lowering your electricity bill, but the most effective way to save on your bills is to review your energy suppliers’ tariffs. Using an independent comparison website allows you to compare prices from different suppliers and choose the one that can create the largest savings for you. However, be aware that suppliers have to pay to be on comparison sites so you may not get a full list of options. Also, make sure you read the small print on contracts as some suppliers entice you to switch and then before you know it they have raised tariffs.
All Your Domestic Electrical Needs At Allied Electrical Services
Our electricians have been helping homeowners with a variety of domestic electrical problems for 25 years. As NICEIC approved contractors, all our work complies to British Standards. If your experiencing faults with your electrics or struggle to find someone to do the smaller jobs in your home, give us a call on 0117 303 9000. Alternatively, fill out a contact form and we will get back to you.
