We've collected all our energy-saving tips into one list to give you the ultimate energy-efficiency and money-saving checklist. If you want to know how to save energy, you're in the right place.
In the kitchen
- Cook in batches: cook as much as possible in the oven in one go to make sure all the space and heat is being used. You can always freeze portions of food to warm up at a later date.
- Keep the oven closed while you're cooking, each time you open the door the oven loses heat and requires more energy to get back up to temperature. Try to keep the oven door clean, so you can look in, rather than having to open it to see how your food is doing.
- When possible, defrost frozen food in the fridge overnight before cooking as this typically halves the cooking time.
- Get to know your oven and how long it takes to pre-heat, so you're ready to start cooking as soon as it's up to temperature.
- If you're preparing roast potatoes, pre-boil them to reduce the time in the oven.
- Glass or ceramic dishes are the most efficient to use in the oven and can reduce the temperature required for cooking.
- Put stainless steel skewers through baked potatoes and joints of meat to speed up the cooking process.
- Cut food into smaller pieces, that way it will cook more quickly.
- Use fan assist rather than the static cooking option as you can set the oven to a lower temperature.
- If you're using an electric oven, turn it off ten minutes before the end of the cooking time - it will still keep to the same temperature for this time period.
- Always use the right size of pan for the amount of food you are cooking.
- Put just enough water in the pan to cover vegetables.
- Choose the right size of burner or ring for the pan.
- Always put lids on pans to keep the heat in.
- Turn down the ring or burner once the cooking temperature or state is reached; simmer food rather than boiling it.
- Use a steamer to cook vegetables, that way you can layer a number of vegetables on top of each other and still use one ring, or use a pan with a divider.
- Use a pressure cooker for cooking pulses, and even joints of meat, whole meals, or stews. It speeds up the cooking process.
- If you're using an electric hob, choose flat-bottomed pans so the pan is in full contact with the ring.
- Certain pan types are better at conducting and retaining heat - copper-bottomed pans heat up quicker than stainless steel and cast-iron pans retain heat more efficiently, so you won't need the heat to be turned up so high.
- Keep rings clean: burnt foodstuff absorbs heat making an electric ring less efficient, and hindering heat radiation with gas.
- If it's practical, place your fridge away from your cooker and make sure it isn't in direct sunlight - it will operate more efficiently if it's in a cool spot.
- Keep the fridge at least 10cm from the wall, as this will allow the coils to work most efficiently, they should also be dust-free, so vacuum them every few months, but remember to unplug the fridge first.
- Keep your fridge at between 3 and 5°C and your freezer at -18 °C.
- Don't put hot food in the fridge; it takes more energy to cool hot food.
- Keep your fridge and freezer filled - bottles of tap water can fill empty space in the fridge, and you can fill empty space in the freezer with screwed up newspaper.
- Make sure the door seals are effective and keep them clean to make sure a good seal is maintained.
- If your fridge doesn't defrost automatically, keep an eye out for any signs of ice and defrost it regularly.
- Use the economy or eco programme on your dishwasher, or a low temperature setting.
- Wait until your dishwasher is full before putting it on.
- If your dishwasher has a time delay, and you have Economy 7, set it up to come on during the night and take advantage of cheaper rate electricity.
- Pre-soak all heavily soiled dishes in a bowl, rather than rinsing them under the tap before you start your washing-up.
- Always wash your dishes in a bowl, rather than washing under a running tap.
- Have a second bowl for rinsing - again, don't rinse dishes under a running tap.
- If you have an old inefficient boiler and turn it off in summer, heat water in your kettle to fill your washing-up bowl, rather than running the hot tap.
Doing laundry
- Wash clothes on the shortest cycle and with the lowest water level that's practical for your needs.
- Use a cold water or 30°C cycle where possible.
- Soak heavily soiled items before washing, and rub collars or other stains with household soap, rather than choosing a longer wash.
- Wait until you have a full load before washing.
- If you have to do a wash in a rush, for instance if you need a particular item of clothing, make sure you fill up the machine with other clothes too.
- Think about the type of clothes you buy; if you frequently do washes because you haven't got enough clothes of a particular type, then it may make sense to invest in a few more.
- Types of clothing affect washing and drying needs, for example heavy cotton takes a long time to dry. Check fabric types before purchasing clothes, and factor this into your buying decisions.
- Similarly, bath sheets are typically heavyweight cotton and excessively large, consider choosing standard lightweight bath towels to save on energy.
- Where possible, use a high spin speed so clothes come out of the washing machine almost dry, with little need for tumble drying.
- Include occasional hot washes if you mainly do low temperature ones - to get rid of bacteria and the build up of odours in your machine.
- Dry similar fabrics together.
- Clean the filters every time you use your dryer to make sure they are free from fluff, your dryer will operate more efficiently.
- Use auto-dry rather than a timed cycle, that way you won't be using more energy than required.
- Only dry clothes as much as necessary; slightly damp is good for ironing, and if hung up straight away, ironing will be kept to a minimum.
- Resist the temptation to add wet items part way through a drying cycle.
- Plan your washing so items that you want to tumble dry are all washed in the same load.
- Make sure the machine is full and if possible do all your drying in one go, a second load can take advantage of the heat that has already built up in the machine.
- Remove clothes from dryer once they are dry, modern machines will continue to rotate to prevent creasing.
- If your machine is vented, check the outside vent is in good working order.
- There is a wide variation in the efficiency of machines, and as they are big electricity users, it's worth checking carefully how efficient yours is.
Entertainment, technology and gadgets
- Switch off your TV when you're not watching, this will do more to reduce energy use than anything else.
- Manufacturers have improved standby efficiency, in most new TVs energy usage is typically below 1 watt, so this is an option if you have a new TV, but if you have an older model, this mode may be using energy unnecessarily. Switching to standby is better than leaving your TV on, but it's still more energy-efficient to switch it off completely.
- Make sure the brightness of your TV is right for your room as the factory settings are typically brighter than necessary. Also make sure you switch on the ambient light sensor - if you're viewing your TV in a darker room with the sensor switched on it can dramatically reduce power consumption by adjusting the contrast of the picture automatically.
- If you're listening to the radio through your TV, make sure you use the radio screen blanking feature - it's a handy way to save energy. Or, better still, use a radio.
- If you're buying a new TV, think about the size and type of screen you choose. An energy-efficient 32-inch LCD will typically use half the power of a model with a 42-inch plasma screen. In general, the smaller your TV, the less it will cost you to run.
- Rather than using the normal viewing setting on your TV, switch it to energy-saving mode, this usually dims the backlight which means the power consumption should drop by a third.
- If you're buying a new TV, look for the Energy Saving Trust recommended label, that way you can be sure you are buying a TV with optimised energy-saving features. Energy Saving Trust Recommended TVs also have an integrated digital tuner.
- A laptop is more energy-efficient than a desktop and monitor set-up.
- Laptops, desktops and monitors are becoming increasingly energy-efficient, especially when you compare LCD or LED monitors with the old-style tube or CRT monitors.
- Newer machines also have reasonably good power options, so they switch on and power down fairly quickly, making it less tempting to just leave your computer on unnecessarily.
- Computers effectively use similar power whether they are busy or idle. If you leave them doing nothing, they are using almost as much as if they are number crunching or accessing information, that's why 'sleep' mode is so useful.
- Use your power-saving settings: these are usually found in your computer preferences, and there are normally two options, either sleep or hibernate mode, both will turn off the monitor within a specified number of minutes of inactivity - with an old tube/CRT monitor energy usage may fall by half. You will usually need to press the on-off button to bring the computer back to life, returning it to where it previously was (as regards the programs that were running and the work in progress). Sleep keeps the memory (RAM) powered, whereas with hibernate the memory is written to disc. Both use just a few watts of energy, which is in sharp contrast to using a screensaver, which consumes almost the same energy as having your computer monitor in full use.
- You can have additional power-saving plans to suit, for example, when you don't want the screen to go off, such as when you are watching a TV programme online.
- Don't forget to switch off your computer and any peripheral devices, such as your printer and scanner, overnight. Check your back-up settings and make sure it is set up to run as soon as your computer is switched on again (in case your computer is switched off at the designated time).
Lighting
- Only turn the lights on if you have to. Daylight is the most energy-efficient form of light.
- Turn off lights when you leave a room, unless you are going back within a few minutes.
- Choose low energy (compact fluorescent) lighting, there is a bulb available for virtually every situation and to suit all tastes.
- Avoid installing halogen lighting, especially the low voltage types which go in recessed fittings in ceilings and walls.
- Install low energy bulbs of the correct light output - to match the output you had with traditional lighting, simply divide by five to calculate the low energy equivalent.
- Fluorescent tubes are energy-efficient, and cast the safest light in kitchens.
- Use side lights with low energy bulbs installed in them if you are stuck with fixed halogen lights that are difficult to replace.
- Start to think of light bulbs as one-off purchases that last many years, like a lamp itself, rather than something you simply throw away after a short time.
Heating
- Is the clock right on your boiler?
- Are the 'on' and 'off' times you've set on tour boiler a good reflection of when you need the heating on, e.g. on working days, does your heating come on half an hour before you get up or come home, and go off half an hour before you go out or go to bed? Can you set different times for the weekends, e.g. for the heating to come on later if you get up later?
- Look at your thermostat (also known as a roomstat); older ones tend to be attached to the wall while the newer ones are wireless and have digital displays that you may be able to move around the house. If it's marked in Fahrenheit (°F) that's a good indicator that it's very old and due for replacement. Even an analogue thermostat marked in Centigrade could be worth replacing with a digital one to bring your system up to date.
- Turn down the temperature on the thermostat. It's advice that most us have heard before, but turning down by just 1°C could save you £70 a year. If you keep your home very warm, or have a tendency to wear t-shirts rather than jumpers around the house you may be able to turn it down by even more. 21°C is the temperature generally recommended, but some people find temperatures as low as 18°C comfortable. Play around with different temperatures (and try wearing more layers) until you find a level you're happy with.
- Take into account where your thermostat is. Many people's thermostats are in a hallway, with may well be colder than your living room, so to get the temperature to 21°C in the rooms you spend the most time in, you may find that you have to set the temperature on the thermostat to a higher or lower figure.
- If you have temperature controls on your radiators (also known as thermostatic radiator valves or TRVs) then you can use them so that you heat each room to the right temperature. This can really help to cut your heating bill. For example, if you have a room that you don't use very often - like a spare bedroom - you could keep it at a lower temperature than you would your living room.
- Try to find out how the numbers correspond to real temperatures - they usually run from 0 to 5 or 6. As a general guide, '4' is usually about 20°C and '3' about 16°C.
- Think about using the 'boost' button on your boiler if you need some extra heat. It normally gives an hour of heating (if the temperature in your home is below that on the thermostat).
- Using the 'advance' option on your boiler will make boiler skip forward to the next time it's meant to come on. So if it's 2pm and the heating is off but it's set to come on at 4pm, pressing advance will make it come on right away. It can also be used to turn the heating off earlier, for example if you're already warm enough or you're going out
- Change the temperature of the water going to your radiators. Many boilers will let you change this and they are quite often set too high. Turning the temperature down will stop your radiators (and your home) from getting hotter than you want and save you money. Experiment with the settings until you find the level that's right for you.
- Get your boiler serviced regularly - it sounds simple, but this is something many people overlook. Keeping your boiler maintained and getting it serviced regularly can help it run more efficiently, so you get more warmth for your money.
- Bleed your radiators - bleeding your radiators (letting out any air that's trapped inside them) can help you to keep your home warmer. Read our step-by-step instructions to how to bleed your radiator.
- Make sure you don't waste any of the heat you've generated - insulation and draft-proofing will keep the heat in and the cold out.
- Compare gas and electricity prices with uSwitch to make sure you're on the cheapest tariff for you. It only takes a few minutes, we do all the paperwork for you and you could save up to £458.
- Electric blankets can be a way of compensating for a chilly bedroom, without turning up the heating. One alternative to an electric blanket is a hot water bottle, although this is not necessarily more energy-efficient, especially if you do turn the blanket off once you get into bed - which is a good habit to get into.
- A shelf just above a radiator helps to throw heat forward from the radiator into the room, rather than letting it rise up to the ceiling. You can buy purpose-made radiator shelves, which clip easily onto most radiators.
- Radiator reflector panels can stop heat being wasted from the back of a radiator into an external wall. They are especially useful in older homes where the walls are solid, which rules out the option of cavity wall insulation. You can buy radiator reflector panels or radiator foil, or you can make your own by cutting a piece of cardboard to size and covering it in the type of aluminium foil you use for cooking. You'll need a long stick and double-sided tape to attach them to the wall behind the radiator.
- Curtains help to keep the heat in a room and keep the draughts out.
Things you can do for free
- Get cosy. Wearing more jumpers, socks and slippers around the house, and putting an extra blanket on the bed means you won't be tempted to turn the heating up.
- Heat your home with cooking. Leave the oven door open after cooking to let the heat warm your kitchen. The oven might give off enough heat for you to adjust your thermostat.
- Save yourself ironing time. Take your clothes out of the dryer before they're completely dry - they'll iron much quicker. More tips for energy-efficient laundry.
- Get the kids involved. Play saving energy-saving games with your kids. Get them to spot the areas in the home where energy is being wasted, where lights, switches or appliances have been left on
- Let the sunshine in. On a sunny day, opening your curtains will let warmth into your house. Otherwise, on a cold day keep them closed - especially on draughty windows.
- Get free cavity wall insulation. A third of all heat lost from the home is through the walls. There are now government-backed full and partial grants available to help you pay for insulation if your home has cavity walls. Getting this done could save you around 15% on your fuel bills, so you could be saving on average £98 a year.
- Get free loft insulation. Because heat rises, as much as 25% of the heat in your house could be disappearing into your loft space. If you apply for a loft insulation grant, you could save about 19% on your fuel bills. This works out at an average of £128 per year.
- Get free solar panels. Find out whether you qualify for a full or partial grant for solar panels. Having solar panels installed on your house means you could save as much as a third on your electricity bills.
- Apply for an energy-saving grant. There are plenty of energy-saving grants available to help with the cost of home improvements, which could mean you get something for nothing.
Things you can do for less than £25
- The Enviroplug is designed to stop you from wasting energy when charging your mobile phone. All you do is plug your phone charger into the Enviroplug and it detects when your battery is full, or your mobile isn't connected, and shuts off the power.
- The Radiator Booster cuts your heating bills by encouraging the warm air to circulate around your room. It's a small fan that sits on top of your radiator, so the room heats up in half the time. This means your boiler needn't work as hard, saving you money. It's estimated that a Radiator Booster could save you £70 to £140 a year on your heating bill, depending on your household's heating requirements.
- If you often forget to bleed your radiators, or you can't find the key, you don't need to worry anymore. An automatic radiator bleeder stays fixed to the radiator and does it for you.
- Power your mobile phone and gadgets for free. The Freeloader Pico is a compact portable solar charger. It comes with a choice of four different connector tips, which means it can charge almost any type of phone and lots of gadgets too.
- You could be losing significant heat, or letting the cold air in through your letter box. Install a letterbox cover and make immediate savings on your heating bills, and make your home more comfortable.
Insulation and draught-proofing
- If your loft isn't insulated, it really should be on your to-do list. Find out how to insulate a loft or roof.
- Wall insulation is an option even if you don't have cavity walls. Find out more about wall insulation types.
- Insulate your windows - double glazing is just one of a number of possible ways to do it. Get the lowdown on window insulation.
- Use sealant or caulking to fill the gaps between your floorboards and between skirting boards and the floor.
- Add an insulating layer under your carpet or floor-covering - try a fibreboard underlay or polyfoam board.
- Get a rug - it's not going to solve all your problems, but putting a rug on top of bare floorboards will help to block some draughts and keep your toes warm.
- Put insulation under your floorboards - if you have you an access hatch that allows you to get into the crawlspace (void) below the floorboards, this is easier, if not you will have to take up the floorboards. You will need to use netting or wooden battens to hold the glass or mineral wool style insulation in place beneath the floorboards. Alternatively, it may be easier to use batts rather than blanket style insulation. Batts typically also have the advantage of having a slightly higher R-value (the higher the R-value, the greater the insulator's effectiveness). Sheep's wool could also be considered, for its breathability.
- Fit draught-proofing strips between the door itself and the frame. This can apply to internal as well as external doors. For gaps between the bottom of the door and the floor - you can buy a special 'brush' or hinged flap draught excluder.
- Insulate your loft hatch - put draught strips around the frame to keep out draughts (and the door itself can be insulated, typically with a polystyrene slab on the upper side).
- Insulate around your windows (especially around opening casements) - draught-proofing strips work well. Draughts also occur in cracks between the window frames and the surrounding walls - you can either use sealant, or putty here.
- Fit a keyhole cover - you can fit a purpose-made cover that drops a metal disc over the keyhole.
- Fill in disused vents, perhaps left behind after gas fires and old central heating boilers (with non balanced flues) were removed. These should be sealed up, perhaps with an adjustable vent cover, or you can fill them with expanding polyurethane foam.
- Unused chimneys can be draught-proofed with a chimney balloon.