Big Energy Saving Week tips for smarter energy use | Tenant news

Keeping your home warm while managing energy bills can feel tricky, but Big Energy Saving Week (17-23 January) gives you a chance to take a closer look at your energy use and find practical tips to keep homes warm and bills lower.

Thermostat tricks

Heating costs usually make up the largest part of household energy bills. Aim for a comfortable temperature of 18°C to 21°C, if possible, which keeps rooms warm without overspending.

Timers let you set your heating to come on just when you need it, for example before you wake up or before you return home.

Some boilers allow adjustments to flow temperature, which can make them more efficient. Setting it around 55–60°C for combi boilers may reduce energy use without losing heat.

Draught-proof your home

Gaps around doors, windows, and floors ‘leach’ heat from your home.

Cheap fixes like draught excluders or foam strips or brushes at the bottom of doors can make a difference. Energy saving tests suggest this could save up to £80 a year.

Radiator reflectors behind radiators can bounce heat back into the room rather than letting it escape through walls. These cost less than £10 and make heating more effective.

Power down devices

Many devices still use power even when switched off.

Kettles, microwaves, TVs, game consoles, set-top boxes, and chargers all draw electricity in standby mode. Turning them off at the wall or using a power strip could save £40-£150 a year.

If you have a smart meter it can show when your electricity use is higher than usual, which can help you find out if devices are being left on or plugged in when they do not need to be.

Kitchen and laundry

Boil only the water you need in kettles and cover pans while cooking, use the right size pan, and defrost frozen food in the fridge before cooking to reduce cooking time.

Choose the appliance that suits your meal - slow cookers, microwaves, or air fryers can use less energy than an oven for small meals. Batch cooking can also save energy by making the most of each cooking session.

Wash clothes at 30°C with full loads whenever possible to save energy. Hanging clothes on a washing lines or clothes horses outside instead of using a tumble dryer, costs nothing and reduces energy bills.

Try it out: Put some of these electricity-saving tips into practice this winter, and at the end of the season, let us know if you noticed a difference in your energy use or bills by emailing us at comms@habinteg.org.uk. We’d love to hear about your savings.

For more advice, check out www.energysavingtrust.org.uk.

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