Five ways to save energy at home

This Energy Savers Week, we are sharing some tips to help you stay warm and reduce your energy use.

Energy Savers Week is run by the Energy Saving Trust and Citizens Advice, providing advice for people to stay warm and save money on energy bills.

There are lots of small changes we can make around our homes that make a big difference.

Here are some quick and easy ways to reduce your energy use, while saving money and being kinder to the environment.

    1. Keep your cool

When doing your next load of washing, consider setting the machine to 30 degrees, or even 20. Clothes don’t need a lot of heat to keep clean, so a lower temperature will work fine for freshening them up.

If you’re worried about stains, soaking your garments beforehand will make them more likely to come out clean, preventing additional washes.

     2. Turn off standby

Turning appliances off by the wall is a quick and easy way to save energy and lower your bills. Unplugging devices such as your TV or phone charger could save up to £50 each year.

    3. Lights out

A free and easy way to save energy and money is turning lights off when you leave a room, and only turning on the lights you need.

Using energy efficient bulbs will also bring down your bills and last longer.

    4. Drying your clothes

For many homes, the tumble dryer is one of the most expensive energy appliances to run.

Instead, hanging your clothes outside to dry or using a drying rack will reduce energy use and lower bills. Using a dehumidifier can also be an efficient way of drying clothes and less expensive than a tumble dryer, but make sure to check the running costs.

   5. Reduce heat loss from your home

There are some easy ways to insulate your home, which can reduce heat loss while saving you money on heating bills.

These include adding draught excluders to doors and windows and keeping doors inside your home closed.

Money saving expert Martin Lewis has also recommended the 4pm rule to help keep your home warm.

This involves keeping curtains open from when the sun rises to keep the heat in, but closing them at sunset, currently around 4pm.

To find out more about Energy Savers Week visit energysavingtrust.org.uk/campaign/energysaversweek.