Big Energy Saving Week 2025 runs from 17th - 23rd January
An initiative, led by the Energy Savings trust in partnership with Citizens Advice and the Department for Business, Energy, and Industrial Strategy, aiming to raise awareness about energy efficiency and providing steps you can make, in order to improve your homes’ energy costs.
Here, we will provide you with some tips and resources so you can act now to save money on your energy bills, as well as improving the efficiency of your home. We’re certain you will be amazed at the small steps you can take in order to make big changes, as well as the huge impacts made by some slightly larger home-improvement projects.
Follow along to save money on your energy bills!
Power Off!
By simply turn off your appliances at the plug, rather than leaving them in standby mode, can save you around £45 per year. Most appliances can be turned off completely without affecting their functioning, i.e., TVs. Microwaves, DAB radio alarm clocks, television smart/cable/satellite boxes and DVRs (if you do not need to record anything) can be safely turned off.
If you are physically able to reach plug sockets, then there are products known as ‘Standby Savers‘ or ‘Energy Saving Plugs’. They work via a remote control and are plugged in to the mains and your device is plugged into the Standby Saver. So, you can easily stop all mains power going to your devices with a simple press of a button.
Standby Savers can work great with extension leads. You can have your TV, DVR, speakers, etc all connected to a single extension lead, which is then plugged into a Standby Saver. Thus, turning them all off with a single button. Extension leads by themselves are a great choice if you can reach the mains switch on your plug socket, to stop all power to the connected devices.
Seal it up!
Have you ever tried to fill a colander with water, just to see if you could? You turn the tap up as high as it will go so the water erupts from the pipes, and slowly rises up the sides of the colander? Then you start to notice that no matter how fast the water flows or how long you leave it pouring, the level just never reaches the top. Only for it all to immediately disappear through the holes of the colander when the tap is turned off. However, if you put food in the colander, then turn on the tap, the water flow can be slowed or even stopped entirely. Let’s follow the same principle but with heat rather than water and the colander is your home.
Fix those draughts! Draught-proofing is one of the easiest and cheapest methods of improving the heat efficiency of your home, and therefore save money. In fact, it could save you at least around £45 a year, but depending on how much you need to do draught-proof, the savings could double or even triple.
Every home needs ventilation in order to avoid condensation and damp (learn more by clicking here), but when you’re trying to heat your home during the winter, heat escaping through unwanted gaps can cost you. There are DIY methods of draught-proofing your home and more in-depth and expensive installations. Right now, let’s focus on what you can do yourself in order to save energy and money.
The quickest and cheapest method is to use draught tape/seal. It’s a foam substance that sticks between your window and frame. So, when you close your window, it fills any potential gaps, thus stopping draughts coming in and heat escaping. You can watch a quick demonstration and guide by clicking here.
You can also use adhesive brushes, rather than foam, that should last longer than foam but does cost a little more.
For sliding sash windows, it will be best to use brush strips if you are trying to stick to a budget.
For all of these methods, please measure the gaps to ensure a proper fitting. If confused or unable, ask a family member, friend, neighbour for help. Guides can be found online, or advice from a local hardware business/professionals can be invaluable.
Blocking unwanted gaps in doors can reward you with huge savings. There are four main areas of a door you can cover very quickly and cheaply.
- Gaps around edges
- Similar to windows, you can use foam, brushes or door sealing strips to fill or cover gaps you find around the edges, where the door and the frame don’t quite meet. You can watch a guide by clicking here
- Gaps at the bottom
- A good old-fashioned draught excluder can do wonders here, and they come in many different styles and designs, to fit your home’s aesthetic.
- A brush or flap can also be fitted very cheaply and easily. It works the same as the draught excluder above, but is fitted to the door so moves with it.
- Cover your letterbox
- Cover your keyholes
- Lastly, cover your keyhole. If you have a mortice keyhole in your door, then this is open to the elements from outside, as well as allowing heat to escape. A simple keyhole cover can stop this escaping of heat and money. You can also get little covers that work as draught excluders that fit over your keyholes. They are small, cheap and push-fit, so are one of the simplest changes you can make. If you know someone with a 3D printer, they could even make it for you and replace it when needed.
- Just cover it all!
- You’ve filled all the gaps and covered every crack, but you still want to do more? Then get a thermal door curtain. They are what they sound like, a curtain that covers your door to stops draughts coming in and heat from going out.
Doing all of this work would be pointless if we forgot about internal doors. If you have an internal door that leads to a room that you wouldn’t normally heat, then it should also be draught-proofed. This could be a job for the door curtain if you want to add some colour or style to a spot in your home. However, insulating and protecting all the work you’ve done to the front and back doors is what matters. Do what is best for you and your home.
If you don’t use your fireplace, then a chimney is just an escape tunnel for heat. Fitting a simple draught excluder can cost around £20, but within a year could save you a massive £90!
There are two types you can go for – inflatable and sheep wool.
- Inflatable
- These are the cheapest option and are very simple. It is effectively a sturdy balloon that is inserted into your chimney and then inflated.
- Sheep Wool
- Sheep wool is the most common of materials when having a more fixed size excluder fitted. So, to have one of these means knowing the size of your chimney opening. The benefits though mean it is a more snug fit and more effective than the inflatable option.
DON’T FORGET TO REMOVE THE EXCLUDER SHOULD YOU USE THE FIREPLACE AND NEED YOUR CHIMNEY.
A more expensive option, but offering the most effect, is to fit a chimney cap. This costs around £150 to be professionally fitted. The caps themselves vary in style and sizes, but fitting them to the top of your chimney will require a professional to do so.
Hot air rises, so having a non-insulated loft hatch could scupper all the work you have done so far to save heat and money. Just like you have with your doors, use the strip insulation to fill the gaps between the hatch and the loft. Add a small curtain or thermal fabric to cover the entire hatch, making sure it is easily removable for when you need to put the Christmas decorations away.
Unfortunately, that is where most DIY work ends and professionals are required. However, the variables involved, i.e., what the loft is used for, has a council/local authority already fitted insulation, is access easy, are joists regular, etc., means costs don’t have to be astronomical, when it comes to insulating the loft’s interior. Read more about that by clicking here. No matter which professional job you go ahead with, it could save you hundreds every year. Even the simple hatch insulation, trapping in all of your rising heat, thus compounding the savings you’ve already made!
Cracks in the all, even small slithers, can be detrimental to retaining heat. If you have large cracks in your wall, then please consult your local council and surveyors, to determine in there is an underlying issue or not.
If all is fine however and your cracks can be insulated, then it is very simple to do so. You can use cements or a filler that sets hard.
Blinded by the lights (and their costs)
Turning off your lights when you’re not in the room is something we’ve heard for years now. But, with the rising costs of electricity, this simple task could save you around £7 per year. That doesn’t sound like much but count how many times you’ve needed an extra £1 or 50p but couldn’t find it, and this is where they could from.
Another great way of saving money on lights are to use LED bulbs. Manufacturers are now prohibited from making halogen bulbs, so switching to the more energy efficient LED bulbs is becoming easier with more variety, styles and functions.
Switching to LEDs could save you around £4 per bulb per year. So, looking around your home right now, count how many bulbs you can replace and count up the costs.
Washing and Drying, without the wallet crying.
“Don’t mix your colours with whites”
It’s something we have all heard, and It may be a habit that is hard to break. However, did you know that mixed loads can be washed at 30C, with minimal or no colour wash or running? Of course, the detergents you use can also protect colours from running at hotter washes, but 30C is a sweet spot for most loads, as well as saving money. Just switching to a 30C wash from a 40C wash can save you around £24 a year! Mixing the loads will reduce that further as you’re not making as many washes, as well as saving you time and energy!
Once the clothes are washed, they need to be dried. In the summer months and on dry days, they can be hanged outside on a washing line if you have access to one, or inside on a clothes airer. During the colder and wetter seasons, it may be tempting to use a tumble dryer, but if you avoid that temptation you could save around £50 per year. Now, if you have followed the previous steps and have insulated your home, there should now be plenty of heat inside to dry your clothes on an airer, even when it’s cold outside. This will require adequate ventilation to avoid moisture build up and potential damp, which you can read more about by clicking here
Water, water everywhere…
The average UK household uses around 345 litres of water per day, or around 145 litres per person every day! Then add on the cost of heating that water, and you find that around 12% of a typical home’s gas bill is from heating showers, baths and running the hot water tap. So, let’s look at the savings we can achieve right now!
First, the shorter you keep your showers, then the more you can save. Having a four-minute shower (a lot can happen in four minutes) will save a typical household around £60 per year! If you’re someone who likes to have a regular bath then swapping it for a four-minute shower could save you an additional £9.
There are further savings to be made in the bathroom, and one of the most simple is replacing your shower head with a water efficient one. These work by reducing the water flow through the shower head, but not the pressure. So, you can still have a satisfying wash, in the knowledge you’re saving water and money; around 8–13 litres per minute and £60 per year. You may not need to replace your shower head if you have an electric shower, but this can vary by manufacturer and settings of your shower. For more information on energy efficient shower heads, read this Which.co.uk guide.
If you have a tap that drips, then you should get it looked at right away. A lot of jobs are relatively simple and could be achieved by yourself. If you’re not confident, then ask a professional. It will save you in the long run, as a simple dripping tap can waste thousands of litres every year.
We’re all guilty of leaving a tap running, but did you know that can use around 10 litres per minute? So, when you’re brushing your teeth, shaving, or even washing your face, turn off the tap and using cold water will cut back on water heating too.
If you use a dishwasher, then make sure it is full before turning it on. This reduces the amount of loads you need to clean, thus reducing water and electricity, as well as saving you time. Those items that need a good scrub that a dishwasher can’t provide, should be cleaned in a sink that has a washing bowl, rather than filling the sink or leaving the tap running. You only need around a minute and a half to fill a bowl, compared to leaving a tap running, and when it comes to rinsing off your crockery and cutlery, use the cold tap in short bursts. The utensils are already clean, we just want to clear away the bubbles.
You could even fit a tap aerator, which is a small fitting that goes on your tap. It has a mesh design on the spout, mixing water with air to reduce the flow and amount of water, without affecting the pressure, giving you a steady stream. It is a simple fix but could save you around £19 per year!
Now on to one of the biggest and most used items in the household: the kettle. Simply avoid overfilling it, and you could save around £10 per year on your electricity bill alone. If you know you have just two cups of tea to make, then fill the cups with water and add that to the kettle, so you know you have the right amount.
Insulate, insulate, insulate!
Your hot water tank is a victim to physics and thus will dissipate its heat, therefore requiring more water and gas to heat up when you turn on the tap. So, make sure it is insulated properly to speed this up and also keep your tank hotter for longer. If you have spray foam or a loose 25mm jacket around your water tank, you can replace this with a much thicker British Standard Jacket of 80mm thickness for around £20, and this will save you around £40 in a year – more than the cost of the jacket!
Now you’ve insulated your water tank, it would make sense to look at your pipes and see if they too need insulating. We have pipes inside and outside the home, bringing in and taking water away. If your pipes are easy to get to, then you can do this yourself with a variety of insulating materials. This could save you around £6 per year.
To learn more about pipe insulation then click here
You’ve got your water tank and pipes insulated, so now it’s time to focus on where that water and pipes can produce an end product: your radiators.
Obviously, we don’t want to insulate the radiators, we want the heat to come out of them in the most efficient way possible. So instead, we can direct the heat into the room. A quick and easy way to do this is by using reflector foil. It is what it sounds like, a type of foil that goes behind your radiator and reflects up to 40% of your heat, back into your room. You would only need to do this on radiators that are fitted to external walls. They are relatively cheap but an organisation we work with, Act on Energy, can provide these to you for no cost at all.
First you insulate, then you ventilate.
Now we have your home filled with lovely warm air, we need to think about how that can be ventilated. You may think, “Why would I spend all this time and money on insulating everything, only to go and let it all out”. Well, the difference is ventilation is controlled, whereas poor insulation is not and costs you.
The moisture in warm air, of which there is more compared to cold, rests and settles when it comes into contact with the colder air or surfaces, which then creates condensation. This condensation can then lead to a wide range of issues relating to damp and mould. If left untreated, then mould can develop mould spores that, when airborne and inhaled, can cause respiratory issues such as allergies, asthma and hay fever, which is particularly damaging to young and older people. Poor ventilation is associated with further physical health issues, such as headaches, dizziness, tiredness and even carbon monoxide poisoning.
What we want to do is to stop this moisture and condensation from building up over time until it causes issues. So, when you do see moisture on a surface, such as the kitchen windows while cooking, wipe it away as soon as possible. This could drip down into the seals of your windows, damaging them and weakening the seals, as well as allowing black mould to grow. If you do notice mould growing, then wipe it away as quickly as possible.
Bleach has been reccomended for some years now as a way of cleaning away mould but this is still up for debate and can be toxic. There are other, safer substances you can use, including white vinegar. Click here for a short guide to help you deal with mould.
To improve ventilation, a lot of modern windows have trickle vents and are important in slow ventilation inside a home. They can be opened as closed, as and when you need them, allowing a small amount of air to flow in and out of your home. If you are noticing a lot of condensation in specific spots around your home, then maybe look into dehumidifiers. You can get electronic dehumidifiers for around £100, that will pull the moisture from the air around 12 litres per hour. Reviews online talk about how much they have changed the lives of people who suffered with mould build up.
If you don’t want to spend £100 or you don’t have a drastic problem but somewhere more specific, like inside of a cupboard or corner of a room, then maybe something smaller would be better, such as disposable dehumidifiers. These small tubs contain tiny beads of moisture absorbing materials. They are one use items so are not environmentally or financially robust, but can help with minor issues or to prevent issues in the future. Place it inside a cupboard or wardrobe, and it will absorb any moisture. With a capacity of around 500ml, as long as they are used as a preventative to moisture build up, rather than a long term solution, then it may work for you.
Then, we have a combination of the two with mini dehumidifiers. Just like their big siblings for £100 but a fraction of the cost but also with lessened capabilities. Whereas the larger units can remove around 12 litres of moisture a day, these remove around 500ml – so quite a disparity there.
Another method, that is free, is to fully open all your windows and doors, if possible, to ventilate all rooms of your home. Obviously, make sure your heating is turned off to not waste the heat, but fully opening up your home to the cooler outside air will help replace the warm moisture inside your home, and thus reducing any potential for mould. Doing this first thing in the morning could be a useful habit to get in to, or once in the morning and at night. It would only need to be for around five to ten minutes, so it is over with quickly, and will make a difference not only to moisture problems but also by replacing old air with fresh air.
Never mind the moisture build up from cooking, cleaning, showering, etc., the human body also releases moisture into the air by simply existing. In the night, while sleeping, you could release around half a pint of moisture. A home containing two people could release up to 24 pints of moisture into the air in a single day.
The need to ventilate and release the moisture is paramount for your health, and we hope you can see a way that suits you and your needs.
Would you like to know more?
Everything we have spoken about so far are simple ways for you to improve the energy efficiency of your home, thus saving resources and money. If you follow everything and dive deeper into the linked resources, then you could save hundreds of pounds every year!
However, there are resources and charities available to help you with insulating your home and retrofitting new technologies, to better improve your home’s energy efficiency.
Act on Energy, already mentioned above, have a wealth of knowledge on this matter, as well as resources to help provide you with some items we have listed, such as the radiator reflectors, and services where staff will visit you to discuss the costs of your energy bills and talk to your suppliers on your behalf.
You can learn more about Act On Energy using the resources below:
Solihull Website: actonenergy.org.uk/area/solihull
Quick Tips Videos: actonenergy.org.uk/quick-tips
Downloadable Resources: actonenergy.org.uk/downloadables
We also had the fortune of recording an episode of Carers Talk, our podcast, with Act on Energy. The episode is loaded with tips and tricks for you to save money on your energy costs, and how Act on Energy can help you negotiate with energy providers, give you access to grants and free home heating equipment, plus lots more!
You can listen below or by following the links to your preferred service and save it to listen to later.
Citizens Advice has a wealth of knowledge and resources for you, relating to energy suppliers and lowering your bills, including grants and help to pay energy bills, including if you use alternative fuels.
Follow this link to find their directory of guides and tips: citizensadvice.org.uk
We also have an episode of Carers Talk with Citizens Advice where we discuss what they can do for you, beyond the scope of energy. It is a tremendous episode, packed with knowledge and tips, showing various levels of support available to you, that you didn’t even know existed!
Watch that by clicking here, or use the above links to follow your preferred platform and select Carers Talk, Episode 9.
Energy Saving Trust, as a founder of Energy Saving Week, is an invaluable resource of energy saving advice and guides. In fact, they have provided a lot of the information you will find in this blog!
Find them by clicking here: energysavingtrust.org.uk
We hope you have learned something new that can help you improve your energy efficiency and save money! Make sure to look at the information provided through all the links, where you’ll find even more tips and ideas of how to improve your home and energy bills!