Easy ways to reduce your electricity costs and save money on your bills

How can you keep your electricity and heating usage under control, while ensuring you have a reasonably safe and warm home? Here are our top 7 tips:

1. Get a smart meter. If the property doesn’t already have a smart meter, you can arrange for one to be installed, although we’d recommend you let your landlord know before going ahead. The detailed display shows your energy usage in almost real time, so you can see exactly when and where you’re using the most power, making it easier to cut back. And because readings are automatically sent regularly to your supplier, your bills should always be accurate, meaning you’ll only be paying for what you’ve used.

2. Ask your landlord to install a smart thermostat. These are connected to your boiler and are generally controlled through an app, which lets you adjust your heating remotely via your smartphone. That means you don’t need to worry if you accidentally left it on, or you’re going to be late home and don’t want to waste money heating an empty property.

3. Let the sunshine flood in! In the sunnier days especially, open all your curtains and blinds during the day to let the natural sunlight warm your home. And if you then close curtains and blinds by dusk, that should help retain the heat.

4. Don’t heat rooms you’re not using. Make a conscious effort to only have radiators on in the rooms you’re using, unless it’s an old property that needs to be heated, usually to 15 degrees minimum. Things like closing the door to your living room can help it quickly warm up, which should mean you can have the heating on for less time. And if you also turn down the temperature on the thermostat – even by just one degree – it can have a noticeable impact on your bills.

5. Take efficient showers. Switch baths for showers and fit a low-flow eco-shower head (which should only cost £20-£30 – and your landlord might pay!). You’ll save on water and the power needed to heat it, and you’ll spend less time in the bathroom with the light on.

6. Stop using a tumble dryer. Hanging washing on a line outside or a clothes rack indoors will always be the more sustainable and cost-effective way of drying your laundry. Just make sure rooms are warm and well-ventilated so that you don’t cause condensation and surface mould to form.

7. Switch off lights and devices. Be more conscious about switching things off when you leave a room. According to the Energy Saving Trust, lighting accounts for around 5% of your energy bill and consumer electronics around 6%, so closing down and switching off laptops, TVs and consoles when you’re not using them can certainly make a difference to the cost of your electricity.

If you have any questions about the energy efficiency of your rented home, or you’d like to talk through how your landlord might be able to help you make savings, we’re always here to help. Just get in touch with your local branch and speak to one of the lettings team.