Saving energy at home
We know that these tips seem obvious, but taking small steps can have a cumulatively large impact on your energy usage and subsequently, bills.
Save energy
- Only boil as much water as you need in the kettle.
- Boil water in the kettle and transfer it to a pan instead of boiling it on the hob.
- Put a lid on your pan to keep speed up your cooking and keep water boiling more easily.
- Turn off any appliances that you’re not using – including chargers.
- Use a microwave where possible instead of the oven.
Lighting
- Switch off any lights and lamps you’re not using.
- Turn off all the lights you can when leaving a room.
Heating
- Close your windows and doors when the heating is on.
- Shut your windows overnight in winter.
Money Saving Expert have calculated this guide to how much energy your devices are using:
| Appliance | kWh (1) | Cost per hour (2) |
| Tumble dryer (3,000 watts) | 3 | £1.02 |
| Oven (2,000W) | 2 | 68p |
| Kettle (1,800W) | 1.8 | 61p |
| Electric hob (1,700W) | 1.7 | 58p |
| Vacuum cleaner (1,400W) | 1.4 | 48p |
| Microwave (1,200W) | 1.2 | 41p |
| Toaster (1,200W) | 1.2 | 41p |
| Dishwasher (1,200W) | 1.2 | 41p |
| Iron (1,100W) | 1.1 | 37p |
| Air fryer (1,000W) | 1 | 34p |
| Washer (700W) | 0.7 | 24p |
| Electric clothes airer (250W) | 0.25 | 8.5p |
| Slow cooker (225W) | 0.225 | 8p |
| PlayStation 5 (201W) | 0.201 | 7p |
| Electric blanket (100W) | 0.1 | 3.4p |
| Sky Q box (45W) | 0.045 | 1.5p |
| TV (30W) | 0.03 | 1.02p |
| Fridge (28W) | 0.028 | 0.95p |
| BT Hub (12W) | 0.012 | 0.41p |
| Light bulb (10W) | 0.01 | 0.34p |
| Sky Q box (standby) (9W) | 0.009 | 0.31p |
| Microwave (standby) (7W) | 0.007 | 0.24p |
| Phone charger (5W) | 0.005 | 0.17p |
| PlayStation 5 (standby) (0.36W) | 0.00036 | 0.01p |
(1) kWh (kilowatt hours) are the units used to measure how much power is used by an appliance. It works out as the watt power of an appliance divided by 1,000 (when used for one hour). (2) Prices based on 1 October 2022 price guarantee rate of 34p/kWh.
https://www.moneysavingexpert.com/utilities/energy-saving-tips/
Other resources