Last January, Peter and Kate Williams received an estimated cost of the year’s energy bills and couldn’t believe how much it was. Here’s how they cut it down!
“Our estimated bill was based on previous years’ usage and was just over £3,000. We were shocked and decided then and there we’d start making changes to try and get it down.
We’re both fit and well, so we turned our heating down to 18 degrees, and only have it on three times a day for an hour each time.
We’ve cut down on using all electrical appliances and all switches are turned off at the wall when not in use. We don’t charge mobiles overnight – only as long as needed.
Radiators in rooms that are not used are turned down. We close curtains at night to reduce draughts and close doors to keep the warmer air where we are.
We only put our washing machine and dishwasher on at night to benefit from the reduced night tariff we’re on. We’re a lot stricter about what we wash too; we now do a wash about every three or four days, not every day.
All these things meant that our annual gas and electric bill this year was £1,600 rather than the predicted £3,000! It was great to see that all the changes we’ve made had made such a difference.
There’s no single thing that saves a fortune – it’s the cumulation of lots of little things. The idea of scrimping isn’t much fun, but you can easily turn into a bit of a challenge.”
Peter & Kate, Stony Stratford
Six top energy-saving tips
Try these quick and easy ideas to see how much you could save
1. If you have a combi boiler find the ‘flow temperature’ setting (the dial with the radiator symbol).Turn it down to 60 degrees to save up to £100 a year.
2. Turn down radiators you’re not using. Save up to £70 year.
3. Switching to energy-saving lightbulbs such as LEDs could save you
up to £55 a year. Standard or incandescent light bulbs are very inefficient. LED lightbulbs also last longer, saving on replacement bulbs.
4. Stop heat escaping: block gaps around windows with caulk from a DIY shop or use a draught excluder. Save up to £60 a year.
5. Reduce the number of washes and turn down from 40 to 30 degrees: you could get three cycles for the cost of two. Fill your machine every time.
6. Don’t leave appliances on standby. It could save you up to £70 a year.
For more useful tips like these, visit www.gov.uk/saveenergy
Prepayment Meter Vouchers
One of the biggest tips we can give is to make sure you're getting what you're entitled to! Every household is entitled to a £400 discount on energy bills.
If you're on a traditional prepayment meter, this support is through monthly vouchers from your energy supplier. (These vouchers were first issued in October ‘22 and there will be one per month up until March ’23.) You need to act now to redeem your voucher.
1. Make sure your supplier has your up-to-date contact details.
2. Check your post, texts, emails (and spam) for your Energy Bills Support Scheme vouchers.
3. Redeem your vouchers as directed (either at a Post Office or PayPoint) ensuring you take valid ID with you.
4. You have 90 days to redeem the vouchers. If you have lost yours, you can ask your supplier to reissue them.
Visit gov.uk/helpforhouseholds for more information.