During the winter months we tend to use more heating, hot water and electricity to combat the cold and the dark. This year, with many of us working from home the energy bills are likely to be higher than ever. Luckily there are many simple changes we can make as a family to reduce our energy bill, and with this in mind, ESB Energy would like to hear your tips for cutting down on your energy usage.
Here’s what ESB Energy has to say: “We know that as a parent you have enough to worry about. At ESB Energy we pride ourselves on our excellent customer service, we have a 4.5 rating on Trustpilot, so with us you can be assured that your energy is being taken care of. We also offer 100% renewable electricity on all our green tariffs – these are our cheapest tariffs –so that you can save money, while doing your bit for the planet. What's also great is as soon as you become an ESB Energy customer, for every friend you bring over with you, we’ll give you both £50 bill credit each. That’s £50 for you and £50 for your friend. You can bring as many friends with you as you want. Bring two friends over, we’ll give you £100. Bring ten and you could get £500 off your bill! Another top tip to save money on your energy bills, by switching to ESB Energy.
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Do you take the old school approach and layer up with thermals and a wooly jumper instead of turning the heating up? Have you challenged your family to swap baths for showers or set forfeits when people leave the lights on? Or perhaps installing a smart meter has made all the difference in your household.
Whatever your tip for saving on the energy bill is, all who post on this thread will be entered into a prize draw where one lucky MNer will win a £200 voucher for a store of their choice (from a list).
Plus, if you’re considering switching energy provider and switch to ESB Energy, you’ll be entered into a prize draw to win a £1000 Amazon voucher. T&Cs apply.
We always go for layers before putting heating on, we keep blankets on the sofa to keep warm whilst being static. We have the heating set to come on for 1 hour in the morning and 1 hour in the evening only.
We keep the heating on low and adjust the thermostats when needed saves it coming on at set times when we might not even be at home. WE also have a separate system upstairs to downstairs so can keep upstairs cooler and warmer downstairs.
no such thing as green energy. This lot are big on wind farms (trying living near one...) and biomass which is the wood burning with extra transport and processing.
Slippers! Amazing how many people put extra layers on their top half and leave their feet cold.
Good insulation in the loft- we had work done to our roof this summer and more insulation added when it was all put back together, the difference is really noticeable.
As soon as it gets dark, I go round the house and close all the curtains, to help keep the rooms warm. Another good tip is to leave the oven door open after cooking, to give a blast of heat into the house and benefit from it.
If it's just me in the house, then I'd rather go for layers than putting the heating on. The kids are all happy snuggled in blankets on the sofa so I have heating on low (or off) in evening if we're in watching TV. We are all pretty good at switching lights off when leaving rooms. I try to cook more than 1 meat joint at the same time to save having the oven on for hours multiple times during the week. I'm not sure how much this actually saves but seems practical
swap to energy saving light bulbs, get a timer for your central heating to come on when YOU want it, pour a mug of water into the kettle when you want a coffee/tea - so you only boil what you actually need, draw curtains as it is getting dark to keep the heat in, shower rather than bath, use the water from boiled vegetables (remember not to add the salt) to make your gravy .
Leave the oven door open once you have made a meal, warms the house up beautifully. Buy timer plugs for your lights, and lower your thermostat by 1 degree - you won't notice the difference - but your gas metre will.
A really simple one but only boil just the right amount of water you need each time. I've shown the family how quickly the electricity usage goes up each time the kettle is boiled and seeing it visually makes a big difference.
I also have an electric throw to snuggle under whilst watching TV in the evenings and it has been a game changer - Far from using more electricity, it has meant that I can stay cosy without having to heat the whole house.
Close the curtains as soon as the sun sets, and open them when it rises. Wear layers and slippers around the house. Close the doors to rooms you’re not using, especially upstairs as heat rises and is quickly lost. Leave the oven door open after cooking so that residual heat disperses into the room. Only use the tumble drier for towels and bedding, air dry other clothes close to a radiator.
We put extra layers on, and snuggle up under blankets cuddling hot water bottles on the sofa on really cold days instead of having the heating on high all day.
I cook all of my meals for the week in one go. Multiple shelves in the oven, things go in and out, temperature adjust if needed, next one in, some jacket potatoes down the side, etc. Then I wrap and put into the fridge or freezer - defrost in the morning if eating in the evening. This way the oven is only on once per week, it's so easy and much cheaper to reheat than to cook each day. Much less energy used and money saved. Then as others have said, only boil the water you actually need in the kettle, wear layers including slippers and wool clothes for warmth, I only put the heating and hot water on when I need them
I always layer up in the winter. It is better to wear a few thinner layers rather than one thicker one. Draw your curtains once it's dusk. We keep the heating on at night at a low level so that when it comes back on properly in the morning it does not have to blast on to bring the temperature up. Have showers not baths. Only boil the kettle for the water we need, we don't overfill it.
