Energy costs may be high, but that doesn’t mean your bills have to skyrocket.
While cutting energy usage might seem like a trade-off between saving money and staying comfortable, the good news is you don’t need to sacrifice your lifestyle to lower your bills.
From switching off the lights when you leave the room to keeping curtains closed to keep the heat in, small habits can add up to big savings, with minimal effort.
This article shares simple but effective tips on how to lower your energy usage while keeping your home cosy and energy-efficient – without compromising your day-to-day life.
Click here for our handy guide.
REPORT ENERGY THEFT
Energy theft is dangerous. It puts you and your loved ones in danger. If someone you know is tampering with their gas or electricity meter, you can report it 100% anonymously here.
The Stay Energy Safe Service can only take information on energy theft and meter tampering in England, Scotland and Wales. We are not able to assist with calls regarding changing supplier, bills, cheaper electricity or gas quotes, meter faults, meter readings, topping up pay-as-you-go, new meters, requesting a smart meter, boilers, power cuts, or car charging. If you need help with any of these, please contact your energy supplier.
TIPS TO AVOID WASTING ENERGY
None of us set out for the day aiming to waste energy, but there are many ways that you could be wasting energy and money without even knowing it. Here are some tips to help you lower your daily energy consumption:
1. THERMOSTAT CONTROL
Controlling your thermostat can help you save. Using a smart device to control your heating remotely, or timers if you have them, can help make sure you only heat your house when necessary. On average, you’ll save around £70 each year (Citizens Advice).
Another thing to remember is that any small adjustment in the temperature will make a difference. Turning your heating down by as little as 1 degree could save you up to £145 in 2025, without impacting your comfort (Octopus Energy).
2. CLOSE CURTAINS AND BLINDS
On colder autumn or winter days, as the daylight fades, closing curtains or blinds can help to keep the heat inside overnight. During the day when it’s warmer, you can open the windows for short amounts of time to let the air circulate and prevent damp from building up.
3. PREVENT DRAUGHTS
Full loft insulation can save money in the long-term but is pricey in the short-term. However, even applying draught excluder tape around your doors or windows could help with energy costs, by reducing draughts and keeping the warmth in. Draught-proofing your chimney alone could save you up to £90 per year.
4. SWITCH LIGHTS OFF
It might seem obvious, but it’s an easy one to forget! Get into the habit of turning lights off as soon as you leave a room to help with energy costs.
5. USE ENERGY-SAVING BULBS
As well as remembering to turn off the lights, the type of bulbs you use will also affect your energy bill. Energy-saving light bulbs such as LEDs might be a little more expensive up front, but they last much longer than regular bulbs and cost far less to run. If you are currently using regular light bulbs, when they burn out, replace them with energy-saving ones.
6. TURN OFF ELECTRICAL DEVICES
Don’t leave any appliances on standby or electrical devices on charge for longer than necessary. They’ll still be using a small amount of energy which will add to your bill. To check how much your electrical appliances cost to run, click this link from Citizens Advice.
7. ONLY WASH FULL LOADS
Washing machines and dishwashers take up a large amount of energy, so make the most of each wash whenever possible. Make sure they are as full as possible (within the recommended load capacity). Turning it down to 30 degrees can save around £24 each year, too. Using your dishwasher for one less cycle per week for a year could save you £12 (Energy Saving Trust).
8. AVOID TUMBLE DRYERS
These are huge guzzlers of electricity. In fact, running just one full load a day in a condenser tumble dryer can cost £481.44 a year. Using an airer or drying clothes outside is much more energy-friendly. Just make sure to keep a window open to prevent damp from building up. Good airflow can actually help your clothes dry faster!
9. FIX LEAKY TAPS
Leaky taps aren’t just annoying – they can also drive up your energy and water bills! A leaky hot tap can waste water, and the energy needed to heat it. Fixing it can be an inexpensive home improvement that will help save you money.
10. USE INDIVIDUAL RADIATOR VALVES
This means you can reduce or turn off radiators so you’re not heating empty rooms, and it can cut 4.5% off the typical UK household's gas usage, saving up to £50 per year (EDF Energy). Bleeding your radiators helps too, as trapped air can make your radiators less efficient, meaning they'll be slower to heat up.
11. DON’T FILL UP YOUR KETTLE
Boiling a full kettle for just one or two cups of tea wastes energy, water, and money. Boiling only what you need can save £10 per year on your electricity bill (Energy Saving Trust).
12. USE SMALLER PANS AND COOK WITH LIDS ON
Using the right sized pan for your meal means you’ll need less heat and waste less energy. With the lid on, your food will heat up faster, saving up to 25% of energy.
13. SWAP BATHS FOR SHOWERS
Swapping just one bath a week with a 4-minute shower will reduce the amount of hot water you use, and you could save up to £40 per year. Switching to an energy-efficient showerhead could also reduce the amount of water you use and save you up to £20 per year (EDF Energy).
14. CHOOSE THERMAL CURTAINS
Investing in thermal lined curtains and ensuring they're closed in the evening can reduce heat loss by 27%.
15. SWITCH TO A SMART METER
This can help track your energy usage and show you where you can save, helping to lower both your bills and your carbon footprint. If you’re eligible, your supplier should install a smart meter free of charge. However, if you rent, you should check with your landlord first. Read our guide to smart meters in 2025 here.
16. CHANGE YOUR BILL PAYMENT METHOD
It may come as a surprise that the way that you pay your bills could actually save you money. How, you ask?
According to Money Saving Expert, paying your energy bill by monthly Direct Debit can save more than £100 a year compared with paying when you receive a bill. It also means you don’t have to worry about missing any payments! If you are currently using a traditional pre-payment meter, then this option is not available to you unless you speak to your supplier about changing your meter, but the pre-payment meter may still be cheaper if you are on a price cap tariff.
17. COMPARE TARIFFS AND SUPPLIERS
You might be able to save money by switching suppliers or tariffs. If energy prices are likely to rise or stay the same, switching to a fixed tariff might offer better value. You can check your current supplier’s tariffs on their website or by contacting them.
As suppliers can charge different rates for their tariffs, it’s also a good idea to compare what your supplier offers with other suppliers to make sure you’re getting the best deal. It’s best to check a few different price comparison websites, as they won’t all show the same tariffs and suppliers. You can find a list of trusted price comparison websites here.
18. IMPROVE HOME INSULATION
When it comes to heating your home, it’s a waste of energy and money if you don’t keep that heat in.
25% of heat loss from uninsulated homes escapes through the loft (Energy Saving Trust). 25-30% of heat is lost through windows and doors—with potentially even greater losses if those doors and windows are old or poorly insulated (Stay Warm Energy). So, if you’re interested in a long-term solution to saving money on your energy usage, investing in your home insulation might be a good idea.
THIS DOESN’T HAVE TO BE EXPENSIVE!
Although additional loft insulation may save you money in the long term, it can be very costly in the short term, so make sure you take time to figure out what the best option is for you.
We understand that if you’re renting, some of the tips outlined above might be harder to follow. However, there are still things you can do to improve your insulation. In fact, something as simple as draught excluder tape around your windows can save you a considerable amount of money.
By making just a few of these simple changes, you should see a reduction in both your gas and electricity usage, which will help lower your bills. Not only will using less energy help your wallet, but it will also benefit the environment.
EPC RATINGS
If your Energy Performance Certificate (EPC) says your home is rated below band ‘E’, then it is considered ‘substandard’ by regulations. If you rent your home, generally your landlord must make some improvements to raise the EPC of the property. This can help you with your energy bills.
You can check your home’s EPC rating on the GOV.UK website.
However, your landlord won’t have to make improvements if your home is exempt from the ‘minimum standard’ of energy efficiency. You can check if your home is exempt here.
To find out more about the way the EPC of your rented home works, please visit Shelter England.
If you want to learn more about the dangers of energy theft and how to spot the signs, visit our pages on electricity theft and gas theft.