Savings experts have spoken to Express.co.uk about how people can reduce their energy consumption around the home. One simple change can slash bills by 10 percent alone and there are plenty of other simple tips to reduce a family’s usage.
Josh Dudick, founder of wealth management group Top Dollar, spoke about the major contributor to household energy bills.
He said: “When thinking of the biggest hitters to your energy bill throughout the year, all you need to remember is that we spend the most money on heating things up and cooling things down.
“This goes for heating bills, cooking, air conditioning, running a freezer, etcetera, so how can we save money when heating and cooling in our household?
“We’ll start with heating. When it comes to heating your home, simply turning your thermostat one degree can reduce your heating bill by 10 percent, and most people will not feel the change in one degree throughout their home.
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“Healthy adults will be comfortable at a minimum of 18 degrees celcius, with this being a little higher for older and younger people, but changing your thermostat from 21 to 20 will have little effect on your temperature but a big effect on your bill.”
People can also make some major savings by changing their habits in the kitchen, the savings expert said.
He continued: “When it comes to cooking, the biggest energy waste comes from the oven, this is especially true if you live in a household of one to two people, and don’t fill the oven up when you cook meals.
“My advice would be to invest in an air fryer, or a ‘mini oven’, being smaller, they simply take less time to get to temperature, saving energy and money.
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He stated: “As crazy as it might sound, ensuring that your home, especially the loft space, is properly insulated can have a jaw-dropping impact on the amount of money you spend on heating.
“The average home loses about twenty percent of its heat through the roof, so insulting your loft with the latest energy-absorbent and reflective material can help you to use less energy to maintain the same level of warmth in your home, and keep the heat where it belongs and your money in your account.”
Martin Lewis, founder of MoneySavingExpert.com, recently warned about a mistake people make when adjusting their thermostat during cold weather.
Speaking on his BBC podcast, he warned: “Many people, when it gets cold as it’s happening right now, they turn their thermostat up, with the idea that that will make them warmer.
“Well no it won’t. If your thermostat is set to the right temperature, it’s set to the right temperature.
“Yes, you’re going to have to wait for it to get up to that heat, but don’t start setting your thermostats higher just because it’s colder.
“The thermostat takes you to a certain temperature, that’s its entire raison d’etre. Timers and thermostats are very powerful tools.”
The savings expert also said people often misunderstand the impact turning down the thermostat by just one degree can make on a household’s energy usage.
While admitting this example is not an exact science, the savings expert added: “Say your thermostat is currently set at 21 degrees and you’re dropping it to 20 degrees, that sounds like it’s not very much. But of course, we’re just comparing it to zero degrees, which is an arbitrary figure.
“In reality, your house may only be heating from 16 degrees up to 21 degrees, and in that case dropping from 21 down to 20 is a fifth of the energy usage, it’s 20 percent of the energy usage. Which is why dropping by one degree can have a really big impact.”
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