Energy saving tips

It's a simple change, but lowering your thermostat by just one degree can reduce your heating bills significantly, potentially saving up to £80 a year.

Considering that heating and hot water account for nearly half of your energy bills, this small adjustment can make a big difference.

Considering a new boiler? You can save energy by upgrading your old boiler to a new A-rated condensing boiler with a programmer, room thermostat, and thermostatic radiator controls.

For a detached house, moving from a G-rated to an A-rated boiler could save around £260 per year - according to a study of boiler efficiency from the Energy Saving Trust.

Set the flow temperature between 60ºC and 70ºC for effective heating in winter and lower it to 50ºC to 55ºC in milder weather.

This could lower your energy bills by an average of 9%. If we use that percentage with the regulator’s Energy Price Cap of £1,723^[1], which applies from 1 October 2026 to 31 December 2026, the saving could be £155.

Stop your water cylinder from cooling down and re-heating by insulating it with a 'jacket.'

If you already have one, upgrade it if it's not at least 80mm thick. You could save between £45 and £194 per year from your energy bills by investing in an insulating jacket.

Bleed your radiators regularly to prevent air being trapped inside.

Trapped air creates cold spots and makes your heating system less efficient - costing you more to heat your home.

If your radiators are making gurgling sounds, taking longer to heat up, or you can feel cold patches near the top - it's time to bleed them.

Figures from EDF Energy suggest savings of around £132 are possible per year from bleeding your radiators.

You should get your boiler serviced every 12 months, and many boiler manufacturers require this to keep your warranty valid.

If you have boiler cover, you can usually get your boiler serviced for free through your policy.

If you don't have boiler cover, we'd recommend comparing boiler cover plans to keep your boiler running well and keep things cheap if anything goes wrong.

Reflector panels can be placed in between your radiators and walls to reflect heat back into your home. This helps to keep warm air in the property and could save £18 a year on average.

Smart thermostats can make your heating more efficient by only warming the rooms you are using. They can also be controlled remotely via your phone, which means you can adjust your home's temperature from anywhere.

Draught-proofing your home is a cost-effective way to save heat and money, potentially reducing your heating bills by up to £100 a year.

Simple measures like sealing cracks and using plastic linings for windows can make a big difference.

Fitting a chimney draught excluder can also help to reduce the amount of hot air escaping from your home, although these should never fully block the chimney as there needs to be enough room for ventilation.

By simply turning off appliances at the plug, you could save around £40 a year. Smart plugs or timer plugs can help manage this automatically, ensuring you're not wasting electricity on devices that aren't in use.

When it's time to replace old appliances, choosing those with high energy-efficiency ratings is key.

Because the current A to G energy scale replaced the older A+, A++, and A+++ system, older appliances that were previously rated A++ may now fall into the C, D, E, and F range. This means your appliances might not be as energy efficient as you think.

For instance, an A rated fridge-freezer uses up to a third of the energy consumed by a fridge-freezer made ten years ago.

Simply washing your clothes at 30 degrees instead of 40 degrees can lead to energy savings.

If you combine it with cutting down on one wash cycle per week, you could save £22 over the course of a year.

Tumble dryers can cost over £250 a year to run, making it one of the most expensive household appliances to operate. This cost varies based on your dryer's energy rating, usage frequency, and current energy prices.

Instead, consider using a dehumidifier to dry your clothes, which typically costs around £39 a year depending on the model and usage.

Being aware of your energy consumption is the first step towards making informed changes.

Installing a Smart Meter lets you track your consumption with accurate and real-time information. It also lowers the risk of being over or under-charged for your energy use. Learn more about how they work with our guide to smart meters.

The Food Standards Agency recommends keeping fridges between 0°C and 5°C, and freezers at -18°C. Anything colder than this is a waste of energy and money.

Many modern fridges and freezers have digital displays you can adjust yourself. For older appliances with numbered dials (typically 1-7), start with settings 3 or 4 for fridges and 5-6 for freezers, and use a fridge thermometer to verify and adjust your temperature settings as needed.

Place thermometers in different areas of your fridge as temperatures can vary. Check that door seals are intact, avoid overcrowding, and keep fridges away from heat sources to maintain consistent temperatures.

You may be able to save money by switching your appliances, such as a traditional electric oven for an air fryer. This could potentially save £143 per year on average.

The savings will depend on the appliances you’re using, their energy efficiency rating and how often they’re turned on.

Double glazing not only reduces your heating bills, it also helps to cut down on noise from outside.

If you replace single glazing with double glazing in a semi-detached home, you could save up to £140 annually.

If you haven’t defrosted your freezer in a while, there’s probably a thick layer of frost which has built up inside it. Not only does this mean there’s less room to store your frozen foods, it can also make your freezer use more energy than it needs to – which is costing you money.

Regularly defrosting your freezer could save you between £15 and £30 per year, according to E.ON Next.

Heat rises, and without proper insulation, it can escape through your roof. While insulating your loft can cost several hundreds of pounds upfront,

It's estimated that adding 270mm of insulation to an uninsulated home can also shave around £340 off your energy bills each year if you live in a detached house.

Turning off the lights when you leave a room and keeping them off when they’re not needed can save you around £7 a year on average. Replacing the light bulbs with energy efficient bulbs can also lower your costs.

Cavity wall insulation is a thermal barrier that fills the gap between two brick walls in a house, preventing heat loss.

Not all homes are suitable for cavity wall insulation, especially those with narrow cavities, poor brickwork, or exposure to damp.

Cavity wall insulation costs around £4,600 for a detached house and £2,700 for a semi-detached. But can substantially cut your energy bills over time. Annual savings on your heating bills range from £100-£370 per year, depending on your property

Showers use a lot less water and they are quicker – so you’re not using as much energy heating your water either.

If you swapped just one bath a week to a quick four-minute shower, this could save an average of £10 a year.

Solar panels are devices that capture energy from the sun and convert it into electricity. Also called photovoltaics (PV), they can be installed on a property’s roof or in the garden.

The average domestic solar panel system costs around £7,000, including installation costs, according to the Energy Saving Trust.

Annual savings on energy bills can range from £150 to £565, depending on energy consumption and reliance on the grid. Plus, you may be able to make money from your solar panels too. When your panels generate more electricity than your household can use, this excess electricity can be exported to the grid to be used by others.