Top 10 home energy saving tips

Being energy efficient can make a big difference to the cost of your energy bill. It doesn’t always need a big investment in time or money to make sure you’re wasting less energy and saving more.

If they have a standy-by light, a display or are hot to the touch they’ll be using energy just by being plugged in.

If you have a room thermostat then it’s best to turn your boiler to its maximum setting, if you don’t it’s best to set your boiler as low as you’re comfortable with.

Washing at 30ºC rather than 40ºC can save you a third of the cost to run the cycle.

Cooking a roast chicken in a pressure cooker takes approximately half the time it would need in an oven, and it’s especially good if you like your roast falling apart. As an optional extra you can crisp it up a bit by putting it in the oven for around 15 minutes afterwards.

Try using secondary glazing film as a cheap alternative to double glazing. Film for 4 windows should cost around £8.

Loft insulation can save up to £140 a year off your energy bills and cavity wall insulation can save up to £160 a year.

Set your heating to come on 15-30 minutes before you need it on, and off 30 minutes before you go to bed.

Keep the input constant at the amount you need, but turn the output down to a minimum when you don’t need the heating on or turn it off at the wall.

Buying an energy efficient fridge and freezer could make as much as £71

difference compared to an inefficient model. Size is an important factor so decide how big your appliance needs to be and then compare the efficiency.

You can test this yourself by comparing your meter readings using the two methods.