8 actionable steps to reduce the cost of your energy bills

In today’s world energy prices are increasing and becoming a real stress on your monthly budget, here are some useful tips to help reduce the cost of your monthly energy bills and try and save you some money.

1. Switch providers – Gas and electric suppliers make the most of us being lazy, steadily increasing the cost, by swapping supplier you can find special introductory prices that can be used to lure new customers, comparing different energy plans can help you find a cheaper rate. You are able to shop around yourself, but there are also a selection of comparison websites that could be used to help you in your search, these include gocompare, moneysupermarket and the energy comparison site uswitch.

2. Carry out a free home energy check – The energy saving trust provide a useful online tool for carrying out a free home energy check, it is estimated that the average household can save up to £250 following our simple advice and tips try online.

3. Turn down the heating – By a small temperature reduction, can translate into big savings, by turning down the thermostat one degree could cut down your yearly heating bill by around £65. Another big saving can be turning off radiators in rooms that are not often used. Ensuring that you close the doors around the home also can help keep your heat in your home.

4. Replacing your light bulbs – Using energy efficient light bulbs can be used to help reduce the electricity used in your home as well being better for the environment.  Energy-saving light bulbs can last longer than traditional light bulbs, often as much as six times the life span. Remember you can further extend the lenghth of time your light bulb lasts as well as the amount of electric used by turning off the light when you are not in the room (well that is what my dad always used to tell me!)

5. Installing double glazing – Single glazed windows can be one of the biggest causes for loss of heat from your home, although an expensive initial outlay, double glazing should help you save money on your monthly energy bills, new windows should also help increase your property value. You may consider spreading out the cost of double glazing, many people consider using a home improvement loan so you don’t have to find the full amount from the beginning, it is important to note this will means you pay more of the term of the loan as you will have to repay the interest on the loan

6. Turn off appliances – Ensure that you turn off electric appliances over night and when you go out, having your tv, computer or other electric appliance on standby, still uses electric and can cause you electric bills to be higher. Reviewing the energy efficiently of new electric appliances can also help you reduce your electricity bills.

7. Having an energy efficient boiler – Older boilers can often be less efficient than new boilers on the market, again ensuring your boiler is in good working order or replacing your boiler can again help greatly decrease your monthly bills.

8. Look at green energy options – In today’s world you can see many new technologies coming to market, the most common new energy source is solar energy but there are other options that include wind and hydro, installing these green technologies can reduce your reliance on electric and gas and sometimes even able to sell power back to the electricity companies. New energy is often an expensive initial outlay, but with government grants available along with deals from many providers can prove to be an excellent solution

In summary there are some large home upgrades that you are able to carry out that will see savings, but by making small lifestyle changes and ensuring that you are energy aware can see you greatly reduce your monthly bills as well as helping you do your bit for the environment.