CONSUMER ADVICE

The worst of the winter weather may be over, but with ongoing headlines of utility bill hikes and more of us permanently working from home – how can we save money?
Popping on the kettle for that extra cuppa, keeping the chill off during daytime hours and having the TV or radio on as white noise while we work remotely – they all have an impact on our energy usage.

According to the Energy Saving Trust, the cost of living is at its highest level in a decade, with household energy bills being the largest expense.
The recent gas crisis has pushed energy bills up by well over £200 since last winter and they’re expected to rise again in April.
While there are a number of Government grants that can be applied for, there are easy wins we can put into place at home.

DID YOU KNOW THAT…

  • Turning down your room thermostat by just one degree can save around £60 a year.
  • A fully draught proof home could save around £25 a year. Don’t forget to keep doors closed in rooms you are using to keep the heat in.
  • Boilers account for around 55 per cent of what is spent on energy bills in a year.
  • Turning off the lights will lead to a £15 a year saving but switching to LED bulbs will save £40 a year.
  • Laptops, TVs, and game consoles account for around 7% of your energy bill.
  • A single computer and monitor left on 24 hours a day will cost around £45 a year. Switching them off out of hours and enabling standby features could reduce this to less than £10 a year each and prolong the lifespan of equipment.
  • A dripping tap can waste more than 5,500 litres of water a year, so make sure your taps are properly turned off and change washers promptly when taps start to drip
  • Fitting your hot water cylinder with an insulating jacket will save you £20 a year in heating costs and 110kg of carbon dioxide emissions.
  • Your room thermostat should be set to the lowest comfortable temperature, which for most is between 18°C and 21°C. If you only have a single room thermostat for the whole house, for every degree you increase the temperature, it will increase the heating bill by about 10%.

Safe Local Trades has a number of tried and tested reliable tradesmen who can carry out a range of property improvements that can save you money.

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