Energy Saving on a budget

If you’re one of the 22 million people affected by the recent energy price hikes, you’ll know just how important it is to save money on your bills right now.

It’s not always easy to make big energy changes when you’re short of cash, so we’ve put together some ideas that can help to suit a range of budgets, including some that won’t cost you a single penny.

All our costs and savings are based on a typical semi-detached house on gas heating*, so savings will vary according to property type and how it’s heated. But whatever your property type, saving energy has to be a good idea.

Energy saving budget: £0

Some simple changes around the house can save significant amounts of energy and cash, including:

• Turning down the thermostat by 1 degree Celsius – £145.
• Turning appliances off rather than leaving them on standby – £65.
• Ensuring lights are switched off when leaving the room – £25.
• Not overfilling the kettle when boiling water – £13.

Doing all these things over the course of a year could save around £248.

Energy saving budget: £50 – £100

For a little more money, you can replace traditional and halogen lightbulbs with energy efficient LEDs. Across an average house this will cost around £90 and should save £65 a year.

Energy saving budget: £100 – £500

If you can afford to spend a little more, you’ll find there are even more energy saving measures you can install in your home.

Did you know that a quarter of heat in an uninsulated home is lost through the roof? Most homes have at least some loft insulation, but often not enough. Topping up from 120mm to at least 270mm of insulation will cost around £465 but could save you £35 a year on your bills.

*Savings are for a typical three-bedroom, gas-heated home in Great Britain, using a gas price of 10.3p/kWh and electricity price of 34.0p/kWh (based on October 2022 price cap).