How to make your home more energy efficient

Turning a light off, not leaving your TV on standby or turning your central heating down a notch – all simple and easy ways to make your home a lot more energy efficient. And to keep your hard-earned cash in your pocket a little longer. Here are a few other pointers you might find useful.

Time your heating and hot water

Understand how your central heating system works and program it so it only comes on when and where in your home you need it (and turns off once you’re tucked up in bed). If you’ve got room thermostats already or smart thermostats such as Hive, then it’s a simple job.

If not, getting Thermostatic Radiator Valves (TRVs) fitted will give you full control of the heating in each of your rooms – these can help reduce energy bills by a staggering 40%¹.

Get insulated

Getting insulation is a no brainer when it comes to making your home more energy efficient as it stops precious heat from escaping. The minimum recommended depth of loft insulation is 270mm – if you think yours is any less then this then you should consider increasing your insulation.

You could have a qualified installer insulate your loft or, if you’re feeling confident, buy some insulation from your local DIY store and lay it yourself. A relatively straightforward job which doesn’t cost much could save plenty of money over time.

Get LED bulbs

Here’s a bright idea. Get LED light bulbs – they’re more efficient than compact fluorescent lamps, or CFLs, and can last up to nine times as long. Plus, LED bulbs don’t contain harmful mercury.

Don’t be on standby

We’re all guilty of leaving laptops, set top boxes and TVs on standby when we’re not using them. But would you still do it if you knew you could be spending up to £100 a year on completely avoidable energy consumption?

Leaving laptops, TVs and other devices on standby can cost up to £100 in electricity

Nowadays you can get yourself some smart tech like remote switches and standby savers that can do the hard work for you. Or with a bit of thought and willpower you can start switching your appliances off and reaping the savings in energy and cash.

Can you feel the heat?

If not, start by moving your sofas, or your laundry. Many people position their sofas in front of the radiators or use them to dry their laundry and while that might make for a cosy place to snuggle in the evenings, it’s actually preventing the hot air from your radiator from circulating properly.

Blocked or covered radiators prevent the room from heating up properly, which makes it more likely you'll turn the heat up higher than it needs to be, increasing your heating bill also to higher than it needs to be.