While energy bills are marginally decreasing, costs remain significantly higher than they were at the beginning of last year and there are certain habits that could be pushing them up more, experts warn.
Changing traditional lightbulbs to LEDs can save a household as much as £611 a year while leaving appliances on standby can save as much as £147.
Express Money spoke to energy experts to find out the common energy oversights to help Britons make a saving this winter.
Lightbulbs
One mistake people may be making is using incandescent light bulbs. According to Kate Baker, lighting and wellness advisor at 4lite, home lighting can account for up to 20 percent of energy bills, making this an important area to fix for those hoping to reduce their bill.
Ms Baker said: “You could be paying as much as four times over the odds to light your home. Making the switch to LED bulbs can save a small fortune. LEDs use 85 percent less energy than traditional incandescent bulbs and 79 percent less than halogen bulbs.”
She added that, based on 10 bulbs in a home used for an average of six hours a day, “changing your bulbs to LEDs can save as much as £611 every year”.
Standby mode
While the standby mode may seem like an energy-saving choice, it can cost Britons over £100 a year. Ms Baker said: “So-called vampire devices cost households an average of £147 a year, even when they’re not being used. If not switched off at the wall or unplugged, electronics within the home can sap energy around the clock.”
By investing in a gadget, such as a smart plug, Ms Bake said consumers have the power to “slay vampire devices” in one move. She said: “With a flick on your smartphone, smart plugs will turn your sockets on or off immediately. You can even set schedules to control your devices so they’re ready when you need them.”
Insulation
Neglecting draughts and window insulation can result in significant heat loss. This can result in Britons leaving their heaters running for longer periods and at higher intensities, ultimately ramping up energy bills.
Simple but effective draught-proofing can help stop the home from leaking heat. Draughts can be found in windows and the power of window furnishings in the colder months “shouldn’t be underestimated”, one expert has said.
Lisa Cooper, head of product at Thomas Sanderson, said: “Installing certain window furnishings can reduce heat loss by up to 55 percent, which could make a significant change to your energy bills for years to come.”
Not layering window treatments is also a “big mistake” to make in the cooler months, according to Ms Cooper.
She said: “Just as an outfit with a jacket and scarf is warmer than a shirt, multiple window coverings provide additional insulation and protection for your home. This not only gives flexible light control but maximises energy efficiency especially if you add linings.
“The difference that a lining can make to a window furnishing should never be underestimated. A polyester or cotton lining has an extra layer of wadding which gives Roman blinds an extra thick, padded appearance as well as additional thermal properties.”
Always get a service
Stewart Clements, director of the Heating and Hotwater Industry Council and Industry (HHIC) told Express.co.uk: “A common mistake that people have been making in the past few years is going without an annual boiler service.”
To keep energy usage and bills down across a breadth of appliances, Mr Clements urged Britons to ensure all heating appliances and heating systems are regularly serviced.
He said: “When in your home for the service, the expert heating engineers can advise on and make efficiency measures, ensuring your home is heated as efficiently as possible. Spending £50 to £100 on a service could also save thousands of pounds in replacement or repair costs so it can be a false economy if you choose to skip out on having one done.”
Don’t heat the whole house
Those who spend most of their in certain rooms may not find use in spending money heating the entire house.
Mr Clements said: “You may consider using of secondary heating source such as gas fires and stoves as an effective way to keep one room warmer. Heating the room you are using with a gas fire can be up to 89 percent heat efficient, as opposed to the whole house with central heating, which saves energy and money.”
Adjust boiler flow temperature
For combination boilers – those without a hot water storage tank – people can check the setting of the thermostat on the boiler that controls the flow temperature through the radiators.
Mr Clement said: “Research has shown that setting the temperature to around 60 centigrade will ensure you stay warm but also can save you money on the heating bill.”
