At My Energy, we understand that when it comes to your energy bills, you want to cut your costs as much as possible. With the rising cost of living taking its toll on your finances, taking a closer look at your energy bills to see where you can save is important.
As energy prices increase, you want to be as efficient as possible, saving more each month and making your energy use greener and more efficient.
In one of our recent blogs, we look at what energy efficiency is, and just how important it is for you to implement smart, energy-saving measures in your day-to-day life. Being energy efficient doesn’t mean that you have to make big changes to your lifestyle; just a few small changes can help you to save energy, and live a much more energy efficient lifestyle.
When you rent a property, this can be a little harder than normal, and any big changes often have to be first broached to a private landlord, or through the council, depending on how you rent your home.
However, just because the options are more limited, it doesn’t mean that when it comes to your everyday energy usage, you can’t find places to cut costs, and save a considerable sum on your bills and overheads each month.
Change Your Energy Provider
Before you look at making your property more energy efficient, it is vital that you are getting your energy at the lowest possible price. As a recent article by the Guardian shows, a lot of energy companies are ripping off customers, charging higher prices than necessary, and causing millions to over-pay on their electricity and gas bills every month.
The article showed that between 2012 and 2015, 70% of people were paying an average of 11% more than those who were on better tariffs.
To avoid over-paying on your energy bills, and to reap more of the rewards that energy saving provides, switching to a tariff that better suits your needs is incredibly important. At My Energy, you can compare and switch tariffs with ease, seeing the best deals on the market that will provide your energy use at the lowest possible price.
The process only takes about 10 minutes of your time, and you could see your bank balance £100’s better off every year, something that is particularly helpful when you are renting a property, and saving towards a deposit on a house.
After you have found a tariff that’s tailored to the specific way you use your energy, you can look at some of the best ways to make your energy more affordable when renting. We have compiled our top 10 tips on how to save energy when renting, so that you can start on the path to a more financially solvent future:
Get Practical with D.I.Y Insulation
While for many renters, investing in proper home insulation is not possible, there are many ways that you can implement a few insulation ideas to keep your rooms more energy efficient, and stop vital heat from escaping. DIY draught stoppers are a great start to insulating your rooms, and are very cheap to purchase, but even cheaper when you make them yourself.
With draughts being a key cause of energy loss, insulating your doors and windows is a great project to get you on track with your saving.
Try Your Hand at a Different Way to Cook
Many people don’t realise that when it comes to cooking, the way you cook can have a definite impact on your energy bills. Using microwaves and ovens can be extremely expensive, especially if they are running for over an hour a day.
An hour and a half of having the oven on can cost around 70p, something that quickly adds up if you do it every day. Reducing the time that you use your kitchen appliances can really save you energy and money. Cooking in bulk for the week, and fully utilising your oven space is a great way to do this; empty oven space is wasted energy.
Taking a closer look at your other kitchen appliances at the same time can also save energy, with full kettles costing a lot more to boil, than only boiling the water that you need each time you use it.
Mix-Up Your Appliance Settings
It is easy to leave the settings on your home appliances as they are, but a few simple tweaks could really cut down your energy bills. Increasing the temperature on your fridge and freezer is an easy place to start, with many homes keeping their fridges a lot cooler than what they need to be.
Adjusting your washing machine to do colder washes, and reducing the thermostat settings, are two smart and simple ways to save energy every day without you even noticing the effects (except, of course, on your energy bills!)
Un-Plug or Turn off Your Appliances
Even when left on standby, appliances continue to burn energy at an alarmingly rapid rate, increasing your bills without you getting any of the benefits of actually using the appliance. The amount of energy that will be used depends on the appliance, but turning them off will always save you more energy than leaving them on.
You can compare the energy that most products use whilst on standby by looking at the label or instruction manual, but a top tip to always follow is to turn it off when you’re not using it.
Try Renewable Energy on a Smaller Scale
While it is up to the homeowner whether to invest in greener energy in the long run, there are small investments that you can make as a renter to cut your energy bills, and save money on charging devices.
Most modern phones, tablets and laptops need charging at least once a day, and when used frequently, more than once. Investing in a portable solar charger for your device means that you can charge it at home for free, but also top up its charge when out and about without having to search for a pesky plug socket. Perfect!
Maximise the Energy You Are Using
There are some instances where you can’t avoid using energy; if it’s cold, your default reaction is to turn the heating on high. However, in those unavoidable situations, maximising your energy use is vital to reduce the energy that is being wasted, enabling you to turn the heating down rather than up.
There are many ways to do this, including: investing in reflective radiator panels to stop heat from being absorbed by walls, move furniture away from radiators, and making sure rooms you aren’t using are not being heated.
Invest in Energy Saving Technology
As many homes look at making changes towards more affordable energy, the market for energy saving technology is increasing. From WIFI plugs that you can turn off via your phone, to advanced thermostats that let you control the heating from a separate device, there are a lot of gadgets that you can install in a rented property that will save you energy.
Adjust Your Energy Use with the Seasons
Adjusting your energy use to the current season is important if you want to save energy, and cut down energy bills throughout the year. There are different energy saving tactics you can implement in different seasons to capitalise on the weather. In the Summer, opening your curtains to let the heat in, and drying your washing outside on sunny days will help you save money.
During the Winter, wrapping up in warm clothing will stop the temptation of turning the heating on, and making sure curtains are thick and moved away from radiators will also help to keep the heat in.
Upgrade Your Lighting with Energy Saving Light bulbs
Energy saving light bulbs have been around for what seems like forever, but as technology advances, so does their energy saving capabilities. Comparing which light bulbs will offer the most light for the least energy use will save you money on your energy bills, and ensure your rooms are still fully lit.
Turning off your lights, no matter which light bulbs you are using, will also contribute to a more energy efficient lifestyle.
Swap to Showers Instead of Baths
You can save a lot on water usage and energy by opting for a shower instead of a bath. Considering the fact that baths use a significantly higher amount of water than a short shower, switching out just a few baths for showers could save you some serious money over the course of a year.
If you are using a power shower, reducing the settings a little could also see you saving more money, and using substantially less water and energy overall.
While every energy saving tip may not be appropriate for every household, just opting for a few changes where possible could save you money, and stop your home from using more energy that necessary. Comparing your energy bills, finding the best deal, and implementing just a handful of tips could be all you need to stop over-paying for your energy.
Renting a home doesn’t mean you can’t make the most of your energy; a few changes today will see a lot more money left in your bank account every month.
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