How to save energy  and reduce your bills

What is energy efficiency?

In a nutshell, it’s about cutting your energy use while still enjoying a good quality of life.

Take modern boilers for example. They use much less fuel than old-fashioned models but they keep your house just as warm.

Want to understand your bill better?

Read our British Gas bill explained guide to see where your money goes.

How to save energy at home

The good news is that you don’t have to triple glaze your house. Or rush out to buy the latest energy-efficient boiler. Though both of those would help.

Small changes. Big difference.

It’s surprising how much you can achieve by making a few easy adjustments to your home and daily habits. Just be consistent and you’ll soon see the savings build up.

Try these ideas to get started:

Turn off the lights

Do it whenever you leave the room. And fit energy efficient bulbs. They’re more expensive initially but they use much less energy and replacing all bulbs in your home with these could save about £40 a year on your electricity bills. So they’re well worth it. 1

Unplug your chargers

Leaving your phone, tablet or laptop charger plugged in when you’re not using it drains money from your pocket. You’re just paying for it to waste energy by getting warm.

Switch off your TV

Leaving your TV on standby means it’s still using energy. And experts have calculated that UK households waste an average of £30 a year powering appliances they’re not even using.

Move your sofa

Furniture pressed up against a radiator stops heat reaching the room. Move things an inch or two away and better air circulation will have your room getting warm and cosy much faster.

Close the curtains

When the sun goes down, heat starts to escape. Drawing the curtains or closing the blinds will help to keep the warmth in. Especially if you have draughty, old-fashioned sash windows.

Fit foil panels

It’s surprisingly easy to add reflector panels behind your radiators to bounce more of the infra-red heat rays back into your room – so less warmth gets lost through the wall.

Bigger ways of saving energy at home

Once you’ve seen the power of small changes, you’ll probably feel inspired to make even bigger savings.

Here are some great places to start:

Insulate your loft

About 25% of the heat loss in your home happens through the roof. So adding insulation could cut your heating bill dramatically.

Check if it’s free

If you’re on certain benefits, you could even get it fitted for free – so it’s worth searching online for the latest schemes.

Cavity wall insulation

If your house was built before the 1990s, it might not have any insulation in the walls – losing up to a third of your heat. So ask a builder about cavity wall insulation.

Check if it’s right for you

It could help you cut your energy bills, and keep your house warm and cosy all winter long. But it’s not right for everyone, especially if your home is exposed to rain driven by high winds – mostly on the UK’s western coasts.

Replace your boiler

Boilers usually last from 10 to 15 years. So if yours is getting on a bit, it might be time to upgrade to a more energy-efficient model.

Take a look at our What’s the right boiler for me? guide to explore your options.

Big savings are possible

If you live in a detached house and replace your old boiler with a new A-rated condensing model, with a programmer, room thermostat and thermostatic radiator controls, you could save from £170 to £315 a year. 2

Three things to try first

Buying a new boiler is a big decision. So you could also try:

• Re-setting the controls – or the radiator valves – so you only heat the rooms you’re using. And only get hot water when you need it
• Adding chemical inhibitors to your central heating system to fight rust and keep things running efficiently
• Moving furniture away from radiators so warm air can flow more easily to make your room cosy sooner

Saving energy in the kitchen

Your kitchen is where you use a lot of energy as you cook, wash up, make tea and put left overs into the fridge or freezer.

Here are some tips for smart savings:

Boil water in the kettle for cooking

It’s quicker and uses less energy than heating up a full pan on the stove – so you’ll have dinner on the table sooner.

Cook with a moderate flame

You just need it to be big enough to heat the base of the pan. If it’s licking up the sides, you’re wasting gas and money.

Keep your oven closed

Opening the door when food’s cooking lets heat out and uses more energy. It slows down cooking too – so use the window to see how your food is doing.

Switch your oven off early

Most dishes will keep cooking a little longer while the oven temperature slowly cools, thanks to good thermal insulation.

Defrost your fridge and freezer

We all know we should do it regularly to keep ice under control. That way everything stays efficient. But it’s still easy to put it off.

Upgrade your old fridge-freezer

This tip’s more expensive upfront. But an A+++ rated model can save around £190 in energy over its lifetime compared to an A+. 3

Saving money doing the laundry

If you have a big family, it probably seems like the washing machine is on all the time.

So here are some tips to cut your energy use, and shrink your bill – but not your clothes.

• Always put a full load in the machine, and try to do the week’s laundry in one go
• Use the economy setting on your washing machine to save water and energy
• Air-dry your laundry outside instead of using an energy-hungry tumble dryer
• Don’t dry clothes on radiators. It just makes your boiler work harder
• Keep your tumble dryer’s fluff filter clean so heat can flow freely inside the drum
• Put eco-balls in your tumble dryer to spread your clothes so they dry more quickly

How to save energy in your bathroom

Do you love a long soak in the bath? Or are you in and out of the shower in minutes?

Changing your bathroom routine could cut your energy consumption.

Try these simple ideas:

• Change your showerhead. A low-flow design still gives you a satisfying shower and uses much less hot water too
• Shorten your shower time. A long shower – especially a power shower – can use enough hot water to fill a bath
• Unplug your toothbrush charger. Most electric toothbrushes only need one charge a week to keep your smile sparkling
• And your hair straighteners. Don’t leave shavers or hair straighteners on standby charge either. Turn them off instead
• Air-dry your hair. Why not try the natural look for a change? It’ll save energy and maybe even a bit of time
• Get an extractor with a timer. Running your bathroom fan for more than 20 minutes just wastes energy and money

How does saving energy help the environment?

Cutting carbon emissions and saving natural resources are high on everyone’s list.

Zero emissions by 2050

The UK Government has recently adopted the recommendations of the Committee on Climate Change’s report, and announced plans to reach net zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2050.

We’re leading the way

It’ll take lots of hard work, and even more investment. But we’re already playing our part – with 56% of our electricity coming from environmentally-friendly sources. Compared to a national average across suppliers of just 33%. 4

Towards a sustainable future

We’re also investing millions in the development of new technology to provide more sustainable forms of energy.

Want to know more?

You can explore renewable energy and discover our green tariffs where 100% of your electricity is matched with renewable energy purchased from our suppliers.

We also make your gas use greener through carbon off set projects in the developing world.

Home improvements that will cut your energy costs

Getting your electrics, hot water and heating system working efficiently could help you cut your energy consumption – and your bills.

You can make some improvements your self. And we can help you with others.

Powerflush your system

Cold radiators could be solved by a Powerflush, keeping you warm and cosy all winter long. It’ll save energy too, and comes with a lifetime guarantee. 5

Get thermostatic valves

Achieving the perfect temperature can be tricky. But switching to thermostatic radiator valves (TRVs) helps you save energy by adjusting every radiator individually.

Fit a water softener

It won’t just make your bath feel more luxurious. It’ll also help to reduce limescale build up. So your appliances work more efficiently and last longer.

These are just a few of the home improvements that our expert engineers, electricians and plumbers can help you with.

Find out what else you could do to save money and energy all around your home.

A smart meter could help you save energy

With a smart meter you’ll see how much gas or electricity you’re using, without having to wait for a bill.

And by watching your energy consumption as you try our hints and tips, you’ll be able to see which ones work best for you.

Control your home and energy bills with Hive

Forgotten to turn the TV off standby mode? Or left a light on?

Control everything – remotely

With Hive you can control your heating, hot water, lights and appliances from your phone or tablet.

Just tap the app to turn off the gadgets and lights you’ve left on, wherever you are. Or switch on the heating a few minutes before you get home. Find out more about Hive Active Heating.

Other ways to cut your energy costs

We’ve also put together some useful guides to help you save money on your energy bills.

From learning how your use compares to the average energy bill through to picking a dual fuel tariff.

You’ll also discover it’s easy to switch energy suppliers and make big savings.

Help if you’re struggling to pay for your energy

We know it's not always easy to pay your bill – and that everyone's circumstances are different. Go to our dedicated page to find out how we can help you take back control of your energy debt, including any financial hardships caused by Covid-19.