Cut a third off your energy bills and save the planet at the same time!

Central heating: Central heating. Photo: Mariano LesserHeating

• Time your heating to go off 30 minutes before you leave the house and come on again 30 minutes before you are due back.
• Turning your central heating thermostat down by one degree can save up to £30 a year.
• If your boiler is more than 15 years old, replacing it with a modern boiler could cut costs by a fifth.

Insulation

• Around one third of heat is lost from an uninsulated home. Installing wall insulation is simple and cost-effective, on average £300, with savings of up to £100 a year.
• Fitting loft insulation into a 3 bedroom semi saves between £80-£100 each year with an initial outlay of around £220.
• Draught proofing windows and doors costs around £40 and should save £10-15 a year.
• Double glazing saves around £40 a year. A cheaper option is secondary glazing, installed when the weather is cold.

Water

• Lag the hot water tank with a British Standard (BS) jacket Ð cost £10. Lag the pipe leading from the boiler to the hot water tank too (£3 a metre). Annual saving: £15-£20.
• Turn your thermostat down to 60 degrees centigrade when you wash-up and save £10.
• Shower not bath. A shower uses around two-fifths of the water needed to run a bath.
• Don't overfill the kettle. Don't heat more water than you need.

Appliances

• Search out energy-efficient models. Look for the EST's Energy Efficiency Recommended logo, or the EU energy label. More efficient models are often no more expensive. Compared to a model bought 10 years ago, each year an A-rated appliance will save: fridge freezer £35, freezer £30, fridge £20, dishwasher £15, and washing machine £5.
• Switch appliances off when not in use and save up to £11 a year. TVs, videos, stereos and computers left on standby can use up to 70 percent of the energy they use when switched on.
• Unplug equipment such as laptops and mobile phones once they are fully charged, otherwise they continue to use electricity.

Lighting

Energy efficient light bulbs cost more, but last far longer. They cost between £3-£9 each, but the Energy Saving Trust says that over the course of their life they can save up to ten times their cost.

Other resources

    •    Association for the Conservation of Energy
    •    Energy Savings Trust
    •    Energy Action Scotland
    •    Scottish Energy Efficiency Office
    •    The Carbon Trust