I am so excited to bring you some of the very best energy saving tips for the home.
I have partnered up with British Gas to find out how people really feel about their energy bills and to look at the actions they are taking to reduce them and what more, if anything, they can do to save.
This is, of course, a subject close to all of hearts right now as the country enters into a cost-of-living crisis. It is a huge problem for most of us that our bills have gone up so much and yet winter (and a cold one at that) is descending fast.
British Gas wants to gather up the nation’s savings tips and spread them far and wide to help us all cope during these tricky times. So, as well as sharing my own ideas on saving energy I wanted to share my readers’ too, and have gathered some of their tips together here as well as their reviews on the current energy situation. I hope you find their feedback as useful as I have.
How the current energy bills rise is affecting us
On my Instagram and Facebook I created a poll to ask my readers the following questions and you can see how they responded below:
- Are you worrying a lot about your energy bills? 85% yes 15% no
- Have you taken action to reduce your energy use? 92% yes, 8% no
- Would you like more information on saving energy? 89% yes, 11% no
.. around 100 people replied to each question and resoundingly the majority answered yes to the questions I asked. It’s clearly evident the worries are real, we are trying our best but yes, more tips please!
What do people want to know about energy use
The kind of information my readers want to know (and I too want to understand) include the following areas
Basically we want to know how high our bills are going to go, this helps us get a grip on our worries and know more clearly what we are dealing with
Are we consuming the same as most people or do we need to do a great deal more to bring our energy usage into line?
Gosh bills can be so confusing, can’t they? We need to understand them and what they mean. Knowledge is power after all and brings peace of mind.
Everyone I have spoken to about saving on energy bills has tips to spare but almost everyone said they wanted more.
Do check all the links above for information and clarity around each of these issues and get yourself better informed about your energy bills.
Ever generous with their feedback, these are the top tips my readers had to share:
‘I heard somewhere that candles create warmth. I think it’s worth a try.’
‘We are trying to cut back as much as possible. I hardly use the oven anymore and when I do I try to cook the following day’s meal at the same time. I’ve changed the way I do Sunday roast and reduced the amount of time I have my oven on by about an hour. We are doing all the usual things too like unplugging everything (things with electronic clocks on like microwave, oven and coffee machine just stay off now until we want to use them). We have blankets on the sofa and use hot water bottles in bed. I put my coffee maker on in the morning (don’t use the timer anymore) and put it in a flask for the rest of the day so I can switch it straight off!’
‘I always set the timers on my washer so that it washes at cheaper times of the day, I stopped using plug in air fresheners etc. that waste electricity, also use battery powered night lights now for the children rather than plug ins.’
‘Getting a heated blanket has been a game-changer for me when working from home.
‘We haven’t cut back as we were already energy conscious. Only things we could do more we can’t afford – like solar panels.’
‘Hot water bottles for the win here.’
‘We’re just making sure we do all the small things – lights off, doors closed, layering up etc! Interested to see others’ tips!’
‘Lots of blankets here.’
‘Turning heating down, switching off sockets’
Don’t my readers have some excellent suggestions!
My BEST energy savings tips
I have so many energy savings tips too but I took a good look at my readers comments and thought I’d share with you ones that are a tiny bit different. You can see in the pictures throughout this post how I energy save in my home.
Here are some cool strategies that save me money day in and day out:
1) A warm breakfast – I love to start a chilly day with porridge to warm me up before I face a brisk walk prior to settling at my desk.
2) A flask of soup for lunch. I make a big batch and flask it up for my husband and I for lunch time, so we don’t need to reheat it.
3) Shutting doors – simple but essential!
4) A clothes airer. This is a necessity and I use it in my conservatory with a dehumidifier to save me using our tumble dryer.
5) Layers! A vest is a great idea, tights under jeans, and extra cardies all go some way to keeping you cosy.
6) Batch cook. Get puds in with your mains, cook 3 lasagnes at once and freeze. Think ahead and maximize oven use.
7) If you’re struggling with your energy bills, always contact your energy provider to see if they can offer any assistance. They may be able to review your bill and payment plan or have hardship funds available. The British Gas Energy Trust is an independent charitable trust set up to support families and individuals facing financial hardship and fuel poverty across England, Wales and Scotland. There’s help available whether you are a British Gas customer, or with a different supplier.
So, there you go, between my readers and I we have given you 25 of the best energy saving tips for your home.
For even more brilliant and money saving ideas do pop over to British Gas and read their top ways to save on energy bills
All of this will help you take action and hopefully reduce your worries
This post is in conjunction with British Gas but all thoughts are my own
