With energy prices reaching record highs, it is estimated the average household bill will rise to £3,549 a year on 1 October, when a new price cap is introduced. It is feared millions may be unable to pay their bills over the next year with people desperate to do anything they can to save costs in their home. However, there are ways we can reduce the amount of gas and electricity we use with some simple hacks.
We’ve come up with a list of ways you can cut huge costs in your home to reduce the bills you pay…
1. Upgrade your boiler or repair your old one
A boiler should be serviced once a year to ensure it’s doing its job properly. .Having a faulty or broken boiler and heating system wastes energy and makes energy bills rocket. Modern boilers are more efficient than older boilers for a range of reasons, one being that most new boilers are ‘condensing’. This means it recovers more heat from the exhaust flue gas allowing it to heat the central heating water. Repairing your boiler will also make it more efficient cutting energy wastage too.
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2. Invest in double glazing
Double glazing reduces your heating bill by insulating your home much more efficiently. Another bonus is it helps keep the noise away from any loud neighbours! According to Money Supermarket, if your semi-detached home is entirely single glazed, you could save as much as £110 a year by installing A-rated double glazing.
3. Bleed your radiators
When you bleed a radiator will help reduce your energy bills by making your radiators much more efficient. The process allows air to be released that has become trapped inside, which improves the efficiency of your heating system. This means a warmer home and cheaper energy bills!
4. Install a smart thermostat
Although thermostats aren’t cheap to buy initially, They promise to increase energy efficiency by heating only the rooms that need it. Some of the smart thermostats can also be linked up with smart thermostatic radiator valves which allow you to control the temperature of individual rooms. They turn each radiator up and down as required and can also fire up the boiler when needed.
5. Draught proof your property
It may sound panicity, but every little bit helps! Having drought can cause your home to lose heat, tempting you to turn the heating up more. Finding ways to get rid of these areas of exposure or using draught-proofing kits are a great way to prevent this. Common ways to stop draughts are: sealing cracks in floors or any skirting boards, lining your letterbox and if you have a chimney which is not in, you might want to consider blocking it to reduce your heating bills. If you want a cheaper alternative than double glazing, a great hack is buying plastic lining for your windows to keep more heat in.
6. Develop energy saving habits in the household
It may sound obvious, but you may not realise your small (wasteful) habits are costing you more than you think. Try and get into smarter habits such as switching off electronics after use, not leaving lights on, not leaving the tap running, turning electronics off standby and not washing clothes until there’s a full load ready.
7. Roof Insulation
Insulating your roof can be pricey, however it can save you hundreds each year which is cheaper in the long run. Lots of heat escapes through poorly insulated roofs which wastes a lot of energy in your home.
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