2 October 2008
Consumers can save money on their gas and electricity bills by using their common sense and switching off appliances and heating systems that are left on unnecessarily. This is the view of James Parkinson and Mike Malina, who insist households can reduce their energy usage significantly by making simple changes. Mr Parkinson, a green technology expert at Vaillant, said people need to make themselves aware of the energy they are using in order to cut down. He advised households to delay switching on their central heating systems until later in the year, potentially saving around £80 a month. Mr Malina, an energy efficiency expert with over 20 years of experience in building services, said consumers should do a quick audit of their homes. "It is common sense," he stressed. "Just walk around your house and see what's switched on and some things don't need to be switched on." According to the Energy Savings Trust, turning down central heating, switching off appliances at the wall and adopting other energy savings measures can help the average household save around £300 a year on its gas and electricity bills.