Heating Help

Spring is finally here, which means we can switch off our heating and start to enjoy the creeping warmth of summer at last. Although the warmer months should hopefully see a drop in your gas and electricity bills, there are still a few ways in which you can lower your costs even further.

Go green

Helping the environment and saving money on your energy bills? It’s a win/win scenario. The easiest way is to swap all of your normal light bulbs with fluorescent CFL bulbs. Both more energy efficient and with a longer lifespan that your ordinary incandescent light bulb, each CFL light bulb will save you roughly £25 over the course of its lifetime. Since the lifespan of a CFL bulb is about ten years on average, this might not seem like a great saving, but how many bulbs do you have in your home altogether? It all adds up.

Switch it off. Not ‘on standby’. Off.

Whenever you switch your TV off, do you notice that little red light in the corner? Where do you think the power for that light is coming from? The same applies to DVD players, stereos, video game consoles and kitchen appliances. These devices leech small amounts of power from the mains even when they are ‘off’. The best way to combat this is to unplug anything that’s not in use, or get a power strip so you can switch a number of devices off with a single flick. Phone chargers are also guilty of this, so make sure that you unplug them once they’ve done their job.

Fill your freezer

A nifty little energy quirk that you can exploit is that freezers operate more efficiently when they’re full than when they’re empty, as it takes more energy to keep an empty space cold than a space filled with stuff. Pop to the shops and grab a few things that are suitable for freezing to max out your space. If you can’t fill your freezer, then fret not. You can stock up on bread and milk by freezing them, and you can also freeze containers or bags of water. Not only will you be saving money on your electricity bills, but you’ll get free ice cubes too.

Have a cuppa

How much water do you put in the kettle when you make a cup of tea? Heating a full kettle wastes so much energy if you’re just making tea for yourself, so make sure that you’re only boiling enough water for what you need. The easiest thing to do is fill your mug with water and pour it into the kettle. Other than that, you can invest in an eco-kettle that will lower your electricity prices even more.

Compare and switch

Of course, being from a price comparison site I would be telling you this. Still, it makes sense to compare gas and electricity prices. After all, you wouldn’t just accept the first offer that was given to you for a car or a house, so why should you when it comes to your energy bills? Always look for a better deal where possible, and the quickest way to do so is online. What are a few minutes of your time and some extra button clicks if it means you save some extra cash?

This guest post was written free of charge by Jamie Gibbs of Confused.com, provider of second home insurance (http://www.confused.com/home-insurance/second-home)