8 Simple Ways to Reduce Your Energy Bills This Winter

8 Simple Ways to Reduce Your Energy Bills This Winter From a Credit Union

The current cost of living crisis is having a significant impact on households with energy price increases being of particular concern. In this post we will discuss some easy and simple ways to deal with the energy price increases.

Current Causes of Price Increases

Analyse Your Outgoings

Although it may seem daunting, once you have a better idea of where your money is going, it’s easier to find where you can reduce spending. For example is it possible to move to a cheaper? Are there subscriptions you can go without?

Install Smart Meters

Energy bills are well known for taking a stab in the dark and guessing your energy usage and one of the wonders of modern technology is that it removes the guess work from estimating your energy bills by sending accurate readings of your exact energy usage to your energy supplier.

Smart meters also provide an easy way to understand how you use energy and better control your spending with its built in display.

Change to Energy Efficient Lightbulbs

Replacing outdated incandescent lightbulbs with modern LEDs is a simple and relatively low cost way of reducing your energy usage and carbon footprint. LED lightbulbs use over 75% less energy than their incandescent counterparts which can have a significant impact on your energy bills. Even better is that LED bulbs have an average lifespan of 15 years, meaning this is a small investment that could save you lots of money in the long run.

Turn Your Heating Down

It may sound ridiculous but simply turning your heating down can decrease your energy bills. According to The Energy Saving Trust, you could be adding an extra 10% to your heating bill for every degree you increase your temperature; so why not dig out those jumpers and save yourself some money.

Turn Your Appliances Off

The Energy Saving Trust asserts that the average UK household wastes £86 a year simply by leaving appliances on standby. Appliances that can be turned off at the wall include lamps, televisions and computers. Although we recommend that you don’t turn off any of your kitchen appliances.

Utilise Eco-Mode Settings

Most modern appliances will have an eco-mode setting which is designed to reduce the energy usage and the overall carbon footprint of the appliance.

Eco mode is easy to activate and most of the time only requires the touch of a button so why not consider what appliances you use the most and try utilising the eco-setting to help reduce your energy usage and costs as well as decreasing your carbon footprint.

Ditch and Switch to a New Energy Supplier

We understand that life can get busy and it’s easy to forget about your energy suppliers but it’s important to carve out some time to look for cheaper bills. It’s now easier than ever to switch to anew supplier and ditching and switching is proven to be the fastest way to save yourself money on your energy bills. There are a large number of comparison sites that make this job easier. It’s important to take the time to go through the different deals and make sure you really are getting the most bang for your buck.

Minimise Heat Loss

With the current energy price crisis, we all want to get the benefits of the energy we are actually paying for. This is why it’s important to minimise the amount of heat that is being lost through our homes. This can be done by investing in insulation or upgrading to double or triple glazed windows. A personal loan from Thistle Credit Union can help you cover the costs of these home improvements.