How To Staying Warm for Less Money

I know the temperatures have just risen a few notches but a few days before that it was cold. It’s all a struggle at the best of times but when the temperature drops you suddenly have to factor in heating as well. So armed and ready for the next cold snap I searched out some tips to stay warm without costing the earth.

First off compare prices because about 80% of your energy bill goes on heating. Pop over to uswitch.com or energyhelpline.com and enter your postcode. To get a more accurate estimate have to hand your current tariff and how much you use. If your supplies inst the cheapest consider swapping. The new energy company will arrange the switch for you.

I use to think it was better to leave the heating on low all the time was better than setting it to come on say twice a day. Apparently, this uses more energy than turning it on and off. It doesn’t work if you do short bursts of heat, though. If your heating has a thermostat use that to regulate the temperature in the rooms you use most. Same goes for your water heater. It’s not cost effective to keep that on all the time either.

My parents were constantly on at me not to fiddle with the thermostat that they just set a measly degree lower. They would set it one degree lower then I would come along and set it a few higher. It really is true that setting a thermostat just one degree lower saves about 10% on your bill. ( that is if your heating is on about 8 hours a day) I can’t imagine how much I use to cost them by ramping it up a few degrees the other way.

You know that mobile phone you put onto charge before you go to bed and then leave charging all night? It’s costing you money all night as when it’s fully charged it still draws electricity. …..I do this one all the time and I really must stop. It’s also the same as leaving things on standby. That little red dot on the front of the appliances you’ve left on standby is costing you about £80 a year. Well, to be precise they reckon if you don’t use standby and turn all your appliances off you could save £80 over the year. I know what I will be doing tonight.

Check your loft has at least good insulation, ideally 270mm. If you have less or even not added the insulation could save you around £180 a year in heating. Oh and check your water tank is either insulated one or has a jacket ( that’s a £45  a year saving)