With the rising cost of living, many people in the UK are having a hard time keeping up with their energy bills. With bills reaching all-time highs in some cases, it’s more important than ever to learn how to make our houses more energy efficient. This is why detailed and personalised advice is so important for helping families figure out how to save money and use energy efficiently.
LEAP (the Local Energy Advice Partnership) knows how important these problems are and offers helpful support and advice through its expert energy advice service.
We’re excited to share a special chat with Lorraine from LEAP that will give you more information on how to make big changes to how you use energy in your home. Lorraine has a lot of information and experience about ways to save energy, which can help ease some of the economic stress that you may be feeling right now.
Join us as Lorraine answers some of your most important questions about making your home more energy efficient, knowing how your bills work, and making smart decisions about how much energy you use.
High energy bills are caused by a lot of different things. The well-known energy problem is the main reason. It is important to remember that the cause comes from outside; it has nothing to do with how much people buy, but with market rates as a whole. You could move energy suppliers or tariffs to save money in the past, when prices were more level. Since suppliers are still buying energy at the same high prices, most customers are stuck with normal variable rates.
Making your home more energy efficient starts with making sure you have a good heating system and know how to handle it properly. This could be a boiler, an air source heat pump, or an electric storage heater. In addition to heating systems, it’s important to use home appliances wisely. For example, turn off lights when you’re not using them, don’t leave devices on standby, and only use hot water when you need to.
There are many groups that offer energy help, but be wary of people who say they are advisors but are really trying to sell you things like boilers or insulation. Real energy experts help people without trying to sell them something. Also, it’s important to make sure that anyone giving you advice is real. If you have any questions, check their IDs and credentials and look up their status online.
Adjusting your temperature settings and turning down the thermostat aren’t the only things that need to be done. You should also make sure you’re on the best utility tariff, check to see if you’re eligible for grants or government support payments, and even see if a benefit check could unlock extra financial help. You can also save money by making easy changes, like cleaning clothes at lower temperatures, drying clothes on lines instead of in tumble dryers, and making sure that dishwashers and washing machines are loaded properly.
If you want to know how well your house is insulated, you can do a basic check of the loft or look at the EPC (Energy Performance Certificate). Homes built before the 1930s probably have solid walls and may not be able to fit cavity wall insulation. Homes built after the 1930s, on the other hand, can normally. Using thermostat radiator valves (TRVs) to control how you heat different rooms and adjusting your heating plan to match the number of people living in your home can have a big effect on your energy use and comfort.
Putting in a water meter can help you keep track of your costs and learn more about how much water you use. Simple things like washing up in a bowl, turning off the water while you brush your teeth, and limiting the time you spend in the shower can make a big difference. Also, water companies offer water-saving tools like cistern displacement devices or gels for plant soil that can help people water their gardens and do other jobs that use water less often.
A common misunderstanding is that putting TVs or other electronics on standby doesn’t use much power. The truth is that these gadgets still use a lot of power, almost as much as when they are fully on. To save energy, it’s better to turn off all of your devices instead of just keeping them on standby, since the electronics inside keep drawing power while they wait to be turned on again.
