Save energy on your heating bills
The obvious starting points are turning your thermostat down by 1°C which can save you as much as £60 per year – just wear warmer clothes around the house and put an extra blanket on the bed to keep warm in the winter.
Most homes will be heated by oil, gas or electricity so reducing your heating bills will involve reducing the consumption of your fuel.
Tips on saving money on heating oil
1. Buy your heating oil early – don’t wait till when winter kicks in, you’ll pay higher prices.
2. Turn your thermostat down – reducing room temperature by 1ºC, you can save up to 10% off your annual fuel bill. Boilers which have not set up correctly will often run at higher temperatures so make sure you’ve had it serviced within the last year.
3. Insulation and draft exclusion – poorly insulated homes will let heat will escape more quickly causing greater fuel consumption. Insulating your home is a cost effective way of saving fuel costs. Heat escapes from all parts of your home as these figure from the Energy Saving Trust demonstrate.
- Walls – 35%
- Roof – 25%
- Draughts – 15%
- Floors – 15%
- Windows – 10%
5. Avoid direct debit – direct debit schemes stop you from shopping around even though they spread your costs out.