Saving on Electricity: How to Save Electricity at Home

Including how to reduce your electricity bill in the UK

Trying to save money on your electricity bill when you have a family isn’t easy. We’re all stuck for time and it sometimes feels easier to just leave things as they are in till you get around to them.

According to the Mass Save program, Switching any of your bills to a new supplier can and will save you money, especially when it comes to your electricity bill. There are loads of providers out there who can help you switch to a cheaper energy supplier.

Unsure who to use? Then try a price comparison site who help you find the best energy deals available. Many customers have saved over £400 by using their service. We saved over £200 as a family and it took some of the stress away from switching.

If you do nothing else this week to save money then do this. Look into switching your energy supplier now.

If you are looking for more energy saving tips then have a look at:

93 Ways to Save Energy at Home – This walks you through how to save energy at home while saving money too.

Free money saving printables

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How to save energy

There are a lot of energy suppliers out there and it can be a minefield to know which supplier is the cheapest.

A price comparison site uses computer algorithms to track and find potential savings based on what energy usage you have used previously. Before you make the switch, make sure that all factors have been accounted for including any exit fees on your current deal. They can give you a snapshot or a bull point figure of what you should be paying.

How to reduce your electricity bill in the UK

Think you are paying to much for your energy as a family? Then you probably are! Use our 31 tips to help you save on your energy bills.

Switch your energy supplier

If you’d prefer to do it yourself then start by using a price comparison site or by ringing around to find the best deal for you.

Switch to monthly direct debit

This could save you over £80 a year. Being able to take the money straight away means that the energy supplier doesn’t have to risk chasing you for late payment. (Always check your bill and query straight away if something is wrong.)

Free insulation or boiler grants

Many energy suppliers offer deals or grants which include new boilers or cavity wall insulation. Having an effective boiler or wall insulation can save you a lot of money going forward.

Have electric and gas?

Then switching and saving still applies.

Can’t switch, won’t switch?

Then call your current energy supplier and ask to be moved to the cheapest deal. It may come as a shock, but many households are on what’s called a Standard Tariff which can be quite costly. A quick phone call should have you switched to a cheaper deal without much hassle.

Check your direct debit is right

Many suppliers estimate usage over time meaning that you could be paying more a month than you use. Get your correct meter reading and tell your new supplier straight away to stop any big and surprising bills.

Swap before your deal ends

Just because you’re on a fixed contract doesn’t mean you can’t switch. Ofgem says that suppliers can not charge you exit fees if you’re in your last seven weeks of your fixed term deal.

Even renters can switch too

You don’t have to own the place you’re living in to pick who your energy supplier is. You also don’t have to stay with the same supplier as the previous tenant. As long as you pay your energy supplier and not the landlord you are free to pick your supplier yourself.

Put a jumper on

By asking the family to put a jumper on first before turning the heating on could save your family hundreds of pounds a year.

Turn lights off

Remember to turn light off when you leave a room.

Turn down the thermostat

Try turning the thermostat down by 2 degrees and watch your energy bill slowly reduce.

Energy-efficient light bulbs

Using something as simple as energy-efficient light bulbs can help reduce your bill.

Defrost the freezer

Defrost the freezer every 6 months and make sure the items in your fridge aren’t tightly packed. This means that the cool air can freely move around without making your appliances work harder than they should.

Turn off electrical goods

Turn off electrical goods like TVs and game stations. Leaving them on standby can cost you big time over a year.

Soak Clothes

Use warm water to soak your clothes overnight and use a quick 30-minute wash in the machine as a rinse which uses less power.

Boil what you need

Only boil the water you need. This could save on your energy costs.

Add water to the kettle

Put fresh water in your kettle immediately after you have used it. It will absorb residual heat and uses less energy.

Heating

Only put the heating on when you need it. Keeping it on low all day can cost you more.

Plug windows

Cling film windows can keep the heat in or the air out. It can act like a second layer of glazing but you need to check it’s airtight. (If your windows are draughty, it may be worth fixing them.)

Set a timer

It may be cheaper to set your water system timer so that your hot water comes on only when you need it. You may need to watch how low the water temp gets though as re-heating cold water can be more expensive.

Standby power

Using this standby power can be easily avoided by switching devices off at the wall. The Energy Saving Trust thinks that a normal household could save over £30 a year by turning off devices.

Keep doors closed

Keeping internal doors closed could help your home warn up quicker and for cheaper.

Use an airer

Using an airer for your washing instead of your tumble dryer can save you hundreds. Even adding your washing to the radiators could be cheaper than your tumble dryer.

Portable heaters

Portable heaters can cost more than just turning on your central heating. If you only want heat in a couple of rooms then try turning your radiators off using the valve.

Combi boilers

If your household doesn’t use much water, combi boilers can be more efficient, as they don’t leave water sitting in a tank where it can lose heat.

Stop pipes freezing

Rather than switching your heating off, keep your heating at 12 degrees to stop your pipes from freezing.

Shut windows

Shut windows during winter. It may been obvious but keeping the warm air in can save money.

Stop your extractor fan

Open windows instead of putting your extractor fan on after a shower.

Washing machine

If your washing machine has a half load use it if not then fill it up.

Meter readings

Make sure you write down your meter readings and submit them on time. This stops the electric company from guessing your usage and trying to charge you more.

How to save money on gas and electricity bills

We all want to save money while raising a family, and making sure your energy bill isn’t higher than it should be can be a real factor to saving money. Doing simple money-saving things doesn’t make you cheap, it means that you want to live your life to the full while spending less.

Making these smarter choices means that you’ll have more money to spend on your family in the long run. That can only be a win! Making your money work harder for you is important when you’re trying to raise a family.

If you haven’t started already, then creating a household budget is a good place to start saving money. It allows you to see what you’re spending money on and if you need to cut back.

Just by doing a few simple things each month can really help you save.

If you have no clue how to start saving money and all this seems new to you then try these three posts below:

The 7 Best Budgeting Apps in the UK Right Now – This post runs through all the best budgeting apps on the market and how they work. Having an app on your phone that tells you how much you are spending could help you save in the longer term.

103 Frugal Living Tips That Will Save You Thousands – This explains how you can save money as a family. It goes through everything from bill saving to shopping and food.

How to Stop Spending Money Right Now – This runs through how to stop spending money. You may feel like your spending is out of control and this will help you slowly reign it back in.

Related Posts:

Our top five money-saving tips are:

Start a monthly budget and stick to it. That way you know what you have leftover, if anything that month. Use my FREE downloadable budget planner to help.

Go through all your bills and check you’re on the best deal. Phone them and ask. What’s the worst that can happen? This gives you a baseline and means that you can either grab a deal or haggle with your existing supplier.

Use a FREE app like Plum to help keep track of your family’s spending habits. It’s free and it lets you input your salary and outgoings, plus links to all your accounts including savings and investments.