10 tips to see how you can save over £500 and keep your home warm this winter

With the cost of living rising, we could all do with some extra money in our pockets and help keeping the cost of our energy bills down. Here are 10 tips to see how you could save up to £564 a year* on your bills and keep your home warm this winter.

1. Use your curtains

Heat from the sun is free so make the most of it. Open your curtains and let the sunlight in during the day to make use of this free heat. When it gets dark, shut your curtains, which act as another layer of insulation and keep warmth in your rooms.

You should also make sure you don’t have any leaks or gaps so that the warm air can stay in, and the cold air stays out – this also helps to reduce condensation.

2. Closing doors and windows

This one may seem a little too obvious, but that's also why it's easy to overlook. Leaving doors open is a fast way to let heat escape a room and will mean you're more likely to turn the central heating up in the evening. Simply closing the doors will make your space feel a lot warmer. And of course, the same applies to windows too.

At the base of the door, between the door and the threshold, you can also get a draft excluder to keep the heat in. Hinged flap draft excluders are exceptionally well suited for this job. You could save up to £125 a year if you have a professional come in and draught-proof your home, but you can easily fit draught-proofing strips yourself.

3. Clothes Washing

According to the Energy Saving Trust, washing at 30C rather than 40C, will save 40% of the energy (modern washing powders work great at these temperatures). Reduce your washing machine use by one run per week for a year.

Avoid tumble drying for your clothes: dry clothes on racks inside where possible or outside in warmer weather to save £70 a year but be careful of mould/humidity build-up if drying indoors.

4. Swap baths for the shower

Keeping your shower time to just 4 minutes could save a typical household £95 a year on their energy bills.

5. Simple Kettle hack

We’re all guilty of boiling the kettle with more water than we’re going to use. According to Good to Know, boiling a full kettle costs 6.8p, and while this doesn’t seem like much, popping the kettle on several times a day is a very common occurrence in British households.

Avoid overfilling and you could £13 a year on your electricity bill. Filling the kettle from the cup means that you are only boiling enough water for the cups of tea you are making, and not using any more energy than is needed.

6. Heating

Consider replacing gas central heating if you have it. Avoid the use of temporary heaters wherever possible, these tend to use more power than pre-installed systems.

Where you need to use plug in heaters use oil-based radiators, rather than fan-coil systems. Check for any draughts and gaps in windows and doors, the Energy Saving Trust estimates this could save £45 per year.

7. Switch off standby mode

You can save around £65 a year by remembering to turn your appliances off standby mode.

Almost all electrical appliances can be turned off at the plug without upsetting their programming.

8. Smart Meters & Gadgets for accurate bills

Use a smart meter to monitor what energy you’re using and show how much it costs.

If you watch this in real-time you can start to learn what the biggest energy users are and use them less or find more efficient versions. If you don’t have a smart meter yet, contact your energy provider. They should be able to arrange an appointment or let you know when they’ll will be installing them in your area. This won’t cost you anything

9. Bleed Radiators

Check your radiators to assess whether it is heating up properly, as if there are cold spots present then you may need to bleed it. When radiators have cold spots present, this is a sign that there is air trapped inside them. This trapped air stops the warm water from properly circulating your radiator and results in taking longer to heat up your room.

10. Reflect the heat

Radiator panels are relatively cheap, easy to install, and ensure that heat from your radiators warms up your room and not your walls. They work by reflecting the heat back into the room.

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Find out more tips in our Energy Saving Tips booklet!

Download and read our Energy Saving Tips for some of the most effective approaches to reducing your energy bills.

Support available in Newham

There are many services that offer support across Newham, but it can be difficult to find out what you need. see what support is being provided across the borough and beyond, visit Newham Council’s Cost of Living Response and UK Government.

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*England, Scotland, and Wales savings are for a typical three-bedroom, gas-heated home in Great Britain, using a gas price of 10.3p/kWh and electricity price of 34.0p/kWh (based on Energy Price Guarantee October 2022). Water savings are based on average occupancy.