42 ideas to save money on gas/elecricity –
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Introduction 👋
When it comes to your hard-won money, saving every penny counts! 💰
Here are our top 42 ideas for saving money on gas/electricity. 🔥
Disclaimer: This website provides information for guidance and educational purposes only. The Grown-Up School does not provide regulated financial advice. You can seek independent financial advice from a suitably qualified and regulated professional advisor. Check out our disclaimer policy for more information.
1. Wash clothes at a lower temperature ❄️
Did you know that the higher the temperature on your washing machine, the more electricity it uses? 🌡️
If you turn down the temperature on your washing machine, it should use less electricity, and potentially lower your bill! 👕
2. Compare energy prices 🕵️♀️
Different energy providers will offer you different prices and deals on electricity/gas. 🔥
If you regularly compare and switch providers, you can always look for the cheapest deal!
In the UK you can use websites like MoneySuperMarket or Uswitch to compare energy prices. ⚡
https://www.moneysupermarket.com/store/gas-and-electricity/enquiry/
https://www.uswitch.com/gas-electricity/
3. Switch to energy efficient light bulbs 💡
Using energy efficient lightbulbs is a great way to save money. 💸
They’re also better for the environment because they produce less carbon emissions. 🌍
The best thing about energy efficient lightbulbs is that they don’t have to cost a lot more than regular bulbs, and they can last for years. 📆
4. Wear warmer clothes in the house 🏡
Before switching on the expensive heating – it’s important to warm your body first. 🧣
Putting on thermal jumpers and socks when it’s cold can make a big difference, and save you money from turning on the heating! 🧦
5. Wear layers of clothes to stay warmer 🧣
If you layer your clothes, they help you to stay warmer. 🔥
So – instead of putting on just a jumper when it’s cold – why not add a tshirt underneath to create more layers? 👕
The warmer your body is – the less you’ll need to turn on the heating at home. 🌡️
6. Drink warm drinks and eat warm meals 🍵
Drinking warm drinks and eating warm food help to warm your body and make you feel less cold.
This can help you feel less like you need to use the expensive heating. 🔥
7. Spend more time upstairs 🪜
Warm air rises, so your upstairs rooms might be more warm than downstairs rooms. 🎈🔥
8. Consider getting warmer bedding for your bed 🛌
Did you know?
Not all bedding is made the same – they actually have different levels of “warmness”! 📊
You can get thermal bedding to avoid turning the heating up at bedtime!
Adding extra blankets and bedding can help to keep your bed warm too. 🔥
9. During daylight hours, open your curtains/blinds 🪟
Instead of turning on light switches during the day, open the curtains to use natural sunlight to save electricity! 💡
10. Heat water on a gas stove instead of a kettle 🫖
Gas is usually cheaper than electricity, so if you have a gas stove to heat water, it could be cheaper!
11. Don’t overfill your kettle 💦
Only fill your kettle with the amount of water you plan to use – heating water that you don’t need wastes electricity! 🔌
12. Cover pots and pans with their lids 🥘
Covering pots and pans with their lids when cooking can help them heat up more quickly, and use less energy when cooking! 🍲
(Be careful and make sure that they don’t boil over and spill though!⚠️)
13. Don’t open the oven door more often than you need to when cooking 🔥
Are you someone who constantly checks their food in the oven to see if it’s done yet? 🕵️♀️
Opening the oven lets out heat, meaning it uses more electricity to cook food whenever you open the oven door. 🚪
Only checking on your food when you need to, can help you to save energy. ⚡
14. Make sure that your fridge temperatures are set to the correct level ☃️
Did you know that you can change the temperature of your fridge? 🌡️
If your fridge temperature is set too low it could use more electricity than it needs to! ❄️
15. Consider putting warm blankets around the house 🛏️
Placing warm blankets around the house can help you to stay warm without putting the heating up! 🔥
16. Do something active when you feel cold 🏋️
If your body is warm, you’re less likely to want to put the heating on. 🌡️
You could do active things like:
- Exercise
- Home repairs
- Cleaning
these all generate body heat to make you feel warmer! 🔥
17. Close blinds/curtains at night 🌃
It can get cold at night! ❄️
Closing the blinds/curtains at night can help to keep warmth in the house. 🏠
18. Open blinds/curtains when it’s sunny ☀️
If it’s a sunny day, you can open the blinds/curtains to let the sun warm the house! 🪟
19. Close windows and doors 🚪
Closing windows and doors can help keep warmth in your home. 🏠
20. Consider using microwaveable heating pads 🔥
If your body is warm, you’ll be less likely to want to put the heating on. 🌡️
You can use microwaveable heating pads to warm your body, and feel less cold! ❄️
21. If you are on a low income, the government may offer money to help you 🏛️
If you make less money than other people, your government might help to pay for your energy bills.
Check out your local government website to see if there is any help available – particularly during colder seasons! ❄️
22. Opening the oven door slightly 🚪
Once you’ve finished cooking/baking at home and turned off the oven, you can open the oven door slightly to let the warm air heat up the room.
⚠️ If you do this be very careful and ensure that nobody in your household can get hurt by the hot appliance – especially if you have children, vulnerable adults, or pets in the house.
Also – never use your oven as your main source of heat! ⚠️
23. Take shorter showers 💦
Did you know that showers cost money? 💰
Showers usually use electricity to heat the water. 🔥
You can take shorter showers to reduce your electricity bill!
24. Consider draught-proofing your house 🍃
Lots of homes have gaps where cold air can get into the house, and make it feel cold. These are called draughts! ❄️
Draught-proofing is where you fill in gaps where cold air can get in, to make the home feel warmer. 🔥
25. Monitor your gas/electricity usage 🔎
Keeping track of your energy usage can help you find areas where you can reduce how much you use. 🕵️♀️
You can get a “smart meter” installed to help you track how much energy you use every day! 🌡️
26. Turn your heating down 🌡️
Turning the heating down even by a small amount can make a difference to your bills! 📜
(In the UK turning your heating down by just one degree could save up to £80 a year.)
Make sure that the temperature isn’t too cold to put your health at risk, or freeze your water pipes! ❄️
27. Consider upgrading your house boiler/heating system 🆙
Old heating systems can waste energy. ⚡
If your heating system is old, you could consider upgrading it to something newer and more energy efficient! 🆕
28. Compare energy efficiency ratings when buying electrical items 🏆
When it comes to buying new electrical items, make sure to check the energy efficiency rating! 🥉
The better the efficiency, the lower your electricity bill! 📜
(In the UK, purchasing an A+++ fridge freezer could save around £320 in energy bills over its lifetime compared to an A+ model!)
29. Only use your heating when you need it ⌛
It’s unlikely that you’ll need to use your heating all the time.
For example, you might not need to use the heating as much when you:
- Leave the house
- Sleep (if you’ve got lots of warm blankets!)
- Feel warm already
Your heating system might have timers installed, that you can use to decide when the heating should be on! ⌛
30. Turn your heating down when you’re leaving the house/going away 🏖️
If you’re going on holiday or away for a long time, it’s unlikely that you’ll need the heating on full blast the whole time. 🔥
You might be able to put the heating on a lower setting to save energy whilst you’re away.⚡
Make sure the house won’t be too cold that your pipes will freeze though! ❄️
31. Heat smaller rooms over large ones 🤏
Large rooms can be more expensive to heat. 🔥
If you can comfortably spend more time in smaller, warmer rooms, and focus on heating just the smaller rooms – you can save money on your energy bills. 📜
32. Putting clingfilm on your windows 🗞️
This is a strange one!
Some people recommend putting clingfilm around the inside of your windows to help to avoid losing heat from your windows. 🪟
⚠️ Be careful if you have children, pets or vulnerable adults in your home however – clingfilm is a choking hazard! ⚠️
33. Turn lights off when you leave the room! 🔦
Lights can use a lot of electricity. 💡
Turning lights off in the rooms you’re not using, can help you save energy. ⚡
34. Be aware that homes with electric heating can be more expensive ⚡
When looking for somewhere to live, homes running on elecricity can sometimes be more expensive to run than homes with gas central heating. 🔥
Make sure to check how much energy is likely to cost when house hunting! 🕵️♀️
35. Make sure that your heating system is well-maintained 🔧
If your heating system is looked after well, it won’t waste as much energy. ⚡
Make sure that your heating is looked after, to make sure that that it’s working efficiently.
For example, check that your:
- Boiler is working properly
- Boiler has the correct settings ⚙️
- Radiators are using clean water
- Radiators are heating properly! 🔥
36. Turn off/unplug appliances that have a “standby mode” 🔌
Electrical items like TVs and computers with “standby” or “sleep modes” still use electricity when they’re in sleep mode! ⚡
Unplugging these items when you’re not using them can help you to avoid wasting electricity when they’re in “sleep mode”. 📺
37. Get electricity timers ⏲️
Electricity timers can turn off electrical plugs at certain times, to help you to avoid keeping appliances turned on when you’re not using them. ⌛
38. Dry your clothes outside on the washing line 👕
When it’s a warm day, you can dry your clothes for free outside, rather than paying to use an electric dryer! 🍃
39. Consider investing in insulation 🧱
Insulating your home involves adding materials to help it to hold onto heat, and make it warmer. 🔥
You could consider insulating your home with things like:
- Double glazed windows 🪟
- Wall insulation 🧱
- Roof insulation 🏠
These can be expensive to install, but might save you money over a long time.
40. Consider installing smart thermostats in your home 🧠
Smart thermostats can control which rooms are being heated and when, all from your phone! 📱
If you can get smart radiator valves, then you can control which radiators you want to heat! 🔥
41. Turn your electrical plugs off when you’re going on holiday ✈️
Plugged-in electrical items can use electricity in the background when you’re not using them. ⚡
So – why not switch them off when you’re going away to save electricity? ✅
Make sure to check what is plugged in however – most people don’t want to turn off their fridge or freezer when they’re away! ❄️
42. Get the right energy meter for your needs 📏
The way you track your energy usage and pay for it, can save you money too! 🕵️♀️
If you’re not struggling with debts, you could consider moving from a “pay-as-you-go” prepayment meter to a cheaper “standard credit meter” where you pay for your energy AFTER you’ve used it.
Prepayment meters are often more expensive than credit meters – but can also prevent you from overspending on energy if you’re struggling with debts. 💸
Conclusion 👍
So that’s it!
Hopefully these 42 ideas have helped you on your way to saving money.
If you know any friends or family members who might benefit from these ideas, share this post with them!
Finally, don’t forget to check out our similar articles below!
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