Energy-saving tips
Rising fuel bills have an impact on us all and, although it may seem the changes we can make ourselves are too small to have an impact, add them together and you’ll notice the difference in your energy bill.
Changes don’t have to be expensive. Lots of them are low-cost or even free, and just need a change of habit.
A smart meter, and the in-house display unit that comes with it, will allow you to monitor these changes and show you how much you’re spending at any moment. Your bills will always be based on actual, rather than estimated, readings and there are also pay-as-you-go versions for those with pre-payment meters.
It is the responsibility of your energy supplier to install your smart meter and show how to use the display unit, but we have produced this fact sheet with further information and some useful links.
Whether or not you decide a smart meter is for you, there are some other simple things you can do to help save energy, and money. For example:
- only boil the kettle with as much water as you need.
- don’t leave the tap running while you clean your teeth.
- push curtains behind radiators to allow the heat to circulate around the room.
- don’t leave your TV on standby overnight.
- use rechargeable batteries for children’s toys – it’s cheaper in the long-run.
We’ve put together some ideas with the help of the Warm and Well team at Severn Wye Energy Agency, and you might be surprised by the changes you can make, and how much money you’ll save.
We’ve also got some excellent ‘Home energy advice’ leaflets (thanks to the Centre for Sustainable Energy) covering really helpful topics such as understanding your gas and electricity bills, using your heating controls properly, reading your meters and finding out how much energy your household appliances use. They’re listed in ‘Downloads and links’ and can be found in our ‘Library‘, too.