Get your house in order, and the energy savings could save you more than £300 a year – and your planet will love you too.
While the emphasis on saving the planet dominates the argument for being greener in our daily lives, using less energy means you’re paying less on your bills. Everyone knows that switching off lights and boiling only as much water as you need in your kettle are quick ways to make small daily savings, but here are a few more savvy tips.
• The national Act on CO2 campaign offers financial help to those in low-income households and to pensioners, to make improvements to save energy around the home. However, every household (not just low-income ones) eligible for at least 50 per cent off the cost of loft and cavity wall insulation. Proper insulation can save you as much as £180 every year.
Call 0800 512 012 to find out more.
• You might well already be turning off appliances, rather than leaving them draining electricity on ‘standby’, but did you know that the bigger the television screen, the more electricity it uses? Not leaving items on standby alone will save you £30 a year.
• Make sure your hot water tank has a jacket on it. If yours has a jacket but it’s old and falling off, bear in mind that a new one costs about £12 and will save you money.
• Each energy saving lightbulb you use could save you as much as £60 in its lifetime.
• Turn your central heating down by just one degree – barely noticeable, and you could reduce your heating bill by as much as 10 per cent.
• Dodge draughts. Where does the cold really escape from in your house? PVC sealant is easy to use on those little gaps in doors and windows that let in the cold.
To work out how much your household could save, and how efficient you could be, try the CO2 Calculator at the Act on CO2 website.