As gas prices increase, energy efficiency is more important than ever

Switching energy supplier is not the only way to manage bills

Few homeowners can have failed to notice the media coverage about the soaring price of gas. It certainly looks like energy bills will increase for everyone, especially those whose suppliers go into administration as they are moved to new ones on higher tariffs. Because of the global crisis, there are no great gains to be made by switching suppliers any longer, however there are ways to be more energy efficient and therefore claw back some control over bills that way.

Taking control over your energy consumption

There are a number of ways you can use energy more efficiently and many of them are low or even no cost measures. Just doing these few simple things could reduce your consumption, and therefore your costs, quite considerably.

Make sure your boiler is working as efficiently as it can

If you do nothing else to improve energy efficiency, do this as your boiler literally dictates how much gas you use. Your boiler can only run efficiently if it is maintained properly. That means annual servicing and attending to any faults or issues in a timely way. If your boiler hasn't been serviced for a while, this is the single best thing you can do for it. What you spend on a service, you will more than save in efficiency over the years. Book a boiler service now by calling 0333 5770151.

Retain as much heat as you can

There is little point spending money to create heat, only to allow much of it to escape. The majority of heat loss occurs through windows and doors. While larger scale measures like investing in better windows, doors, and insulation will certainly make a big impact, low cost strategies like heavy, longer curtains, carpets rather than hard flooring, and draught excluders will help. Even good habits like keeping internal doors closed can make a difference. You can read more about conserving heat here.

Allow radiators to work effectively

When space is at a premium, we can often be guilty of placing furniture in front of radiators. This blocks them so much of the heat you have paid to create just gets absorbed into the back of the sofa and the room still feels cold. Give radiators plenty of space to allow the heat to spread around the room. Also, don't dry clothes on them as this will not only have the same effect but can lead to damp problems as well.

Use energy smarter

We now have numerous tools and information at our disposal to help us use energy better. Smart meters and smart thermostats, such as Nest or Hive, can help us recognise our energy use patterns and change some behaviours. They often lead to us managing our consumption more logically, such as not heating the home when there's nobody there or only heating rooms when they're occupied.

Only use the central heating as part of your overall strategy to stay warm

When it's cold we put the heating on or turn it up and often this is the first thing we turn to when the temperature drops but could we sometimes be being a little lazy? Could we rely on the central heating less just by adding a couple of layers, having a hot drink, or getting under a blanket? Even just moving around more will warm you up. Maybe the central heating should be just one part of staying warm in the winter, not the whole of it? Read more about other ways to stay warm here.

Reduce your bills AND your carbon footprint

While these measures may not entirely mitigate against energy price rises, they will certainly help soften the blow, plus lower energy consumption is also better for the planet which should also be a bigger priority for all of us.