Pennine’s 5 Best Energy-Saving Tips For Big Energy Saving Week
Just before the turn of the year, it was revealed that UK energy bills have risen by 40% in five years, taking the average annual dual fuel bill up to £1,813.
This will come as no surprise to anybody as household energy costs have been sharply rising for more than a decade now, which is the main reason why Big Energy Saving Week was setup.
Commencing on the 20th January and run by Citizens Advice and the Energy Saving Trust, Big Energy Saving Week provides homeowners with information on how to lower their energy bills and gives them access to financial support, if needed, to help them do it.
Ahead of this year’s initiative, we’ve put our heads together at Pennine and come up with a five-strong list of energy-saving ideas:
- Shop around and find a cheaper tariff
For whatever reason, nearly a quarter of UK households have never switched their energy provider and it will be costing them a fortune.
It’s daft as a first-time switcher could potentially save £300+ annually on their fuel bills and there’s very little you need to do to make the switch.
Armed with your most recent energy bill, use a comparison site to find the cheapest tariff (this can be done in seconds) and then leave it to your new supplier to arrange the switchover. What could be simpler than that?
- Only wash a full load
We use our washing machines a lot. On average, a 7kg washing machine is used 220 times a year.
Avoid putting on a half load and always completely fill the machine to try and cut how much it costs to run. It will also help if you only wash your clothes when necessary and buy a machine with a high energy rating (the highest available energy rating for washing machines is A+++).
- Don’t overfill or overboil the kettle
We love a cuppa in this country. It’s estimated that we each drink 876 cups of tea or coffee a year, so our kettles are used frequently.
There are two things you mustn’t do to prevent all that kettle boiling costing you more money than it should.
Firstly, don’t fill the kettle with more water than you need, and only boil the kettle at the exact time you intend to have a drink.
- Defrost your freezer
We bet that you didn’t expect defrosting your freezer to save you money, but it will do.
When it’s frosted up, a freezer must work much harder than normal, using up more electricity than it should be doing.
It can be a messy job, but it will be well worth it. To make things easier, buy a frost-free fridge freezer.
- Get your windows and doors replaced
If it gets cold in your house during the winter, it will be the fault of your windows and doors.
You might have single glazed windows and doors, constructed using a timber frame, in which case, they will have little hope of keeping out the weather.
The installation of double or triple glazed energy efficient windows and doors from Pennine will change that as they have a high energy rating and will make any draughtiness disappear.
Request a copy of our Windows & Doors brochure to find the best replacement styles.