With winter on the horizon, many homeowners might worry about high energy bills due to heater units. Standard heating systems take up a lot of energy from power grids, and with the heating turned on constantly, your utility bills can see a spike during the winter months. 

Many people are looking at ways to conserve energy at home to reduce energy consumption. Energy conservation is a great way to become more cost-efficient and positively impact the environment. 

With some energy saving tips, you will lower your carbon footprint, use your electrical products more efficiently and earn major savings on energy bills. Here is how you can save energy at home in the UK. 

Why Should You Save Energy?

Before we start looking at ways to save electricity, it is important to understand why you must conserve energy at home. The cost of energy is set to rise significantly in the upcoming years; therefore, it is important to start saving energy at home. In the winter months, these energy costs can go up even further due to high heater usage.  

In some parts of the UK, winter affects areas much more severely than others which means that you will use your heating unit more, and this leads to an extremely high energy bill. This might lead you to wonder about ways to save electricity without using a heater. There’s no way to avoid energy usage completely, but there are several ways to cut your energy costs drastically. 

With this how to save energy at home guide, you will have the answer to the question of how to save energy while maintaining your household budget. You must start implementing these tips before the winter to conserve a sufficient amount of energy. Check out our blog on 10 Ways to Save Electricity and Heat Energy! 

What Is Energy Conservation?

Energy conservation is crucial to saving energy. In the simplest terms, energy conservation is the process of using less energy in order to reduce environmental impact and lower costs on energy bills. There are multiple ways to start conserving energy. 

You can conserve energy by using less gas, electricity, or any other type of energy that you get from paid utilities. Since the planet has a finite number of resources, active energy conservation is beneficial for both individuals and our larger energy systems. 

Energy conservation starts at home, and once you perfect this process in your household, you can start putting these practices to use elsewhere. 

How Much Can You Save By Cutting Back On Energy?

There are major potential savings you can earn by cutting back on energy use. For example, if you start switching off standby energy, you can potentially save up to £45, and by remembering to turn off lights, you can save £19 per year. 

Even if these savings seem low, once you start using them frequently, your savings will add up. These are just a few ways you can accrue savings in the long run. There are several other ways to save energy at home and otherwise. 

Credit: Penny Saver

How To Prepare For Energy Conservation?

Before you start making changes, it is important to get a better understanding of your energy bill. Once you understand all the charges on your bill, you will know how to make better energy saving choices. You can also amend any wrongful charges in your bill to cut back on the energy cost. 

How To Save Energy At Home?

To start saving energy, you don’t need to make big changes at first. You can slowly start building these habits by making small steps. Once you make multiple small changes, you can start seeing major benefits in the future. Here are some ways to start saving energy at home in the UK. 

1. Make Adjustments To Your Daily Lifestyle

One of the best ways to make long-lasting energy saving changes is by switching up your daily lifestyle. To reduce your energy consumption at home, you don’t always have to go out and purchase energy efficient products or appliances. 

You can start implementing tips to save energy at home by simply turning off devices when they are not in use. A quick and easy home energy saving tip is turning off any appliances when you are not using them. You can also start cutting down operation time on appliances that take up too much energy. 

Such appliances include equipment that helps you with household chores. You can start performing such household tasks manually to save more energy. For example, you can hand-dry clothing instead of putting them in a dryer or use the stop to boil water instead of using a kettle. With these simple adjustments to your daily lifestyle, you can start making real progress toward energy conservation. 

Lifestyle-related energy saving tips have the biggest potential when it comes to utility savings. With these energy saving tips, you can save a great portion on your utility bills per year. Another great way to make small changes includes the efficient use of your heating and cooling units. 

Start turning down the heat on your thermostat during the winter months, or you can also try to use the air conditioner less during the summer. Heating and cooling costs take up nearly half of an average household’s energy bills. Therefore by reducing your use of such heating and cooling appliances, you can start achieving great savings. 

To implement this change, you must use your thermostats more efficiently. Most people can start seeing positive changes by reducing their thermostat temperature by one degree. There are various tools on the market that help you identify areas where you use the most energy in your daily life. 

Once you identify these areas, you start implementing meaningful changes to reduce energy consumption and save energy. 

2. Audit Your Home’s Energy

When talking about tools to save energy, auditing is a great way to find out just how much energy your home consumes. A home energy audit or an energy assessment is a great way to improve the efficiency and comfort of your home. 

The audit provides extensive information on how much energy you use, and it pinpoints exactly where you can improve your energy usage. You don’t have to carry this process on your own.  A certified professional auditor evaluates your house and identifies any energy saving opportunities. 

The auditor also recommends multiple heat energy saving improvements to help you get started. However, if you don’t want to hire a professional auditor, you can also conduct basic auditing sessions by yourself. 

In a professional home energy audit, the auditor looks at the amount of energy used up by your house and comes up with specific steps you can take to make your home more energy efficient.  

Some basic auditing processes take about an hour; however, thorough and extensive audits take over four hours to complete. These audits require specialised equipment, and they tend to be costly. 

Despite the price, thorough audits provide detailed information about your home’s energy use. In some home energy audits, the professional auditor will give you a home energy score. The home energy score acts like a rating for your energy use as it accurately indicates how much energy your home consumes. 

The home energy score describes your house’s energy performance against an average national consumption rate. The home energy score also provides ways to make your home’s heat energy more efficient in a cost-effective manner. 

It is important to note that some auditing processes can be costly and might not be for every homeowner. If this is the case, you can conduct any auditing process by yourself and still get actionable results. 

3. Change Your Lightbulbs 

Another great way to achieve major savings at home includes switching traditional light bulbs with LED light bulbs. LED light bulbs use 90% less energy than a standard bulb, and they are a great way to reduce your energy costs significantly. 

Standard incandescent lights consume an excessive amount of energy, and these light bulbs have a much shorter lifespan compared to LEDs. With excessive energy use and frequent replacement, your energy costs can add up significantly. You can start saving on your electricity bills and become more energy efficient by switching to energy saving light bulbs. 

Some energy savings light bulbs include compact fluorescent (CFL) light bulbs and light-emitting diode light bulbs (LEDs); however, out of these two, LEDs are the best choice for homeowners. These energy saving light bulbs use less energy than an incandescent light bulb. 

Energy-efficient light bulbs have longer lifespans than traditional light bulbs. Some energy saving light bulbs have high upfront costs, but since these bulbs have a longer lifespan, you will save money in the long run.

LED lights also don’t produce heat energy which can damage a light bulb leading to more money spent on replacement. Making a switch to LED bulbs is quite easy as most LEDs can fit into an existing standard bulb fitting. 

If you are on the market for energy efficient lighting, you can find a wide range of energy efficient light bulbs at Meteor Electrical. For high-grade LED light bulbs, browse through the Kosnic range at Meteor. 

Kosnic offers high-quality LED lighting solutions that brighten up your home without consuming too much energy. Kosnic is a leading manufacturer in energy-efficient lighting; therefore, you are guaranteed a high-quality lighting solution. If you prefer compact fluorescent lighting, Meteor Electrical also carries a range of CFL lighting that works best for domestic and commercial use. 

Check out our blog on Energy Saving Lighting and Energy Saving bulbs! 

4. Cut Down On Standby Energy

Have you ever looked at your energy bill and wondered why it was so high even though you don’t you as much energy? 

One reason for these hidden costs can be standby energy. Standby energy consumption is when an appliance keeps consuming energy even though it is actively being used. Many electrical appliances don’t fully switch off, but instead, they go into standby mode. 

There are several devices in a household that could be consuming standby power. While you can’t fully turn off some appliances such as refrigerators or freezers, you can try switching off devices such as smart speakers, desktop computers, and chargers. 

If you want to keep a more efficient eye on such products, you can purchase a smart plug or sockets. Smart sockets are a great way to reduce standby energy from your appliances. Once you plug your appliance into a smart socket, you can completely power off this device with the smart plug. 

Some smart plugs also provide helpful data about your appliance’s energy consumption so you can get more information about energy consumption. You can also set timers or schedules for more efficient control over your appliances. 

Visit Meteor Electrical to find our reliable line of smart switches and sockets. The Knightbridge smart plug lets you control your appliances with a smartphone or tablet via an app. This smart plug has several intelligent capabilities, including voice control. 

Check out blogs on Smart Plugs and Smart Switches and Sockets! 

5. Get An Efficient Heater

As mentioned before, winter can be a major season for high energy consumption. The main for this energy load is the constant use of heating units. A great way to save energy during this season is by making efficient use of your heating system. 

Before you start using your heater, take certain steps to ensure that heat energy comes in naturally into your home and does not escape. You can do so by keeping your blinds, curtains, and shades open during the day to let the sunlight heat up your home. 

At night, make sure to keep all the curtains and blinds closed to avoid letting any warm air escape. When you are opening up your curtains in the daytime, remember to keep the windows and the doors closed, especially when the heater is running. This is another great way of reinforcing your home to stop hot air from escaping. 

If there are certain sections of the home without windows or heaters, you can take measures to help the warm air circulate around the house. Make sure that any air vents in the house are clear of furniture and other such obstructions. Clear any pathways to the air vents as this will allow the warm air to circulate more efficiently in the house. 

You can also insulate your window to conserve even more heat energy. You can further reinforce your windows from the cold winter air by installing a plastic film on the windows. You can also add this film to any other areas where the air comes in and out of the room. If you still feel like your house is not heating up efficiently, you should make the switch to smart and efficient heaters. 

Smart heaters efficiently heat up your room, and they are also cost-effective. Meteor Electrical has a wide range of smart heaters options to help you create a warm and comfortable environment without worrying about your energy bill. 

These heaters spread warm air efficiently around your home, and you have better control over your heat settings. Smart heaters also let you create schedules so you can automatically turn the heating on/off. 

Check out blog on Smart Heating and How to Save Heat Energy! 

6. Draughtproof Windows And Doors

Draught proofing your windows and doors is an effective and inexpensive method of conserving energy. This method works well in any kind of building, especially homes. Controlled ventilation lets fresh air in whenever needed, and it also stops heated air from escaping during the winter. 

Once you trap the heat energy, you will not have to rely on your heating system as much. You can avail of major savings with draught proofed windows and doors. This process can potentially save you up to £45 a year.  

To draught proof your windows and doors, you must cover unwanted gaps that can potentially leak air outside.  You can draughtproof yourself, or you can ask a professional to carry out this process. 

7. Insulate Your Home

Draught proofing is just one way to reduce energy consumption. You can also insulate your home for better energy conservation. Insulation helps you retain heat in your household during the winter. Insulation also keeps the heat out during the summer. 

With proper insulation, you won’t have to rely on your heating and cooling systems too much. The ideal level of heat resistance for your insulation depends on your region. If you live in a warmer region, you might require a lower level of insulation than a place in a colder climate region. 

To adequately install insulation, you must focus on some core areas of your home. Apart from doors and windows, you should also consider areas such as the walls, loft space, floors, and basement. Consider adding insulation in these areas. 

8. Consider A Shower Over Baths

During the colder months, you might also be using excess energy by wasting hot water. Inefficient water heaters warm up large volumes of water that often go to waste. However,  efficient water heaters only heat up the amount of water you require leaving little room for waste. 

At Meteor Electrical, you can find a wide variety of efficient water heaters. These heaters come in various sizes to fit every household’s needs. 

One way to minimise hot water loss is by switching to showers instead of baths. With a shower, you can get better control over how much water you use. If your showerhead does not work properly, consider purchasing a more efficient model to get better use of your water. 

Final Takeaway

With these helpful tips, you can start making small meaningful changes in your households. Once you start practicing energy conservation, you will see a major difference in your energy bills for years to come. 

Want to create a Smart Home? Check out our guide on How to Create a Smart Home!