Cutting down on your energy expenses isn't hard

Written 16th November 2024

I had some good news yesterday.

It's a bit of a long story.

I got an email from my energy supplier a few days ago about the upcoming price cap change so started looking at switching tarriffs / suppliers if there are better fixed rates around as I'm currently on a variable deal.  1st off I looked at my current providers offers. They were quoting amounts based on some random usage numbers but I wasn't sure where those numbers came from.  Were they based on my usage or just some industry standard ones that everyone gets forced to use?  I had a look through my online account and couldn't find my kwh usage per year anywhere on my account so I just decided it was easier to just trawl through all my bills for the last nearly 4 years and get the stats myself. Sorry, but I'm a stickler for the detail. How can you make an informed decision about anything in your life without assessing all the pertinent information?

Whilst I was gobsmacked by the numbers, after checking the national averages online, I was very pleased to learn that I'm using less energy than a 1 bedroom flat and I have a 3 bedroom house. Phew. I hate wasting energy. I hate wasting money.

Before I'd got my kwh usage numbers to compare I was thinking earlier in the day how could I get my energy usage down. Switching off the internet box when I'm asleep was pretty much the only thing I could change and that's probably not going to add up to a big saving.

I'm ruthless about turning lights off when not in a room. Or using the smallest hob on the stove once something is up to boiling. Or keeping doors shut to the outside world when the heating is on and I've already hung my winter door curtain to keep my hallway a bit warmer.  I always wear jumpers and gilets to keep myself warm.  Slippers also help to stop you picking up the cold from the floor.  The house is cavity wall and loft insulated.  The windows are double glazed.  I don't leave the TV or radio on if I'm not using them.  I always turn my monitor off when not being used and put my laptop to sleep.  I don't leave chargers plugged in / switched on and I keep my freezer full.  I only do full loads of washing and use a clothes airer indoors or the washing line in the summer to dry things.

I honestly don't know what more I can do to reduce the energy usage in my home.  But I do know that doing all those things is not difficult to do.  My mother (the Queen of Tight) enforced strict 'get the wood in the hole!' and "turn that light off!' policies as a child so it's something I've always done (as does my child).  I moan about my £120pm energy bill and when I checked my old records to find I was only paying £35pm in 2018, a mere 6 years ago, it seems like a massive hike.  It is!! The standing charge part is costing almost 80p a day for my dual fuel.  80p a day.  That's £300 ish a year... just to be getting the energy.  Seems an excessive amount to be paying year in, year out, especially when you read about the profits these companies are making.  Why this is allowed I have no idea.  My broadband supplier doesn't charge a standing charge to receive their service. Anyway I've digressed since there is nothing that can be done about it until Ofgen decide to change things.  But that's a huge chunk of money that I have to pay, we all do, so how about reducing the energy we use? There are no other options here.

My point is, there are things we can all do to reduce our energy consumption and therefore our costs. Small changes in the way you use energy in your home can add up to big savings over the course of the rest of your life especially with energy costing so much these days.  If I was using the average amount of energy for a 2-3 bed house, I'd be spending around £500 more per year. That's £500 I'd rather spend on something else than just energy. That's not fun and sexy.

Smart meters enable you to see exactly what energy you are using each day. You can play around turning appliances on and off to show you how it affects your usage. So have a try. If you turn off the 2 TV's in the other room's you're not watching, how much does it come down?  Times that by 365 days a year and it'll start to add up!  Or plug in your portable electric heater and see how much it jumps up. Why not put another jumper on or go for a walk around the block to warm you up? I've started making my tea in a flask instead of a cup or a pot.  For one thing 1 teabag will make me 2 cups of tea, and I'm using less energy by boiling the kettle less often and my tea stays warm for longer.  I also know exactly what amount of water to boil to make a flask so I'm not boiling water I'm not going to use at the time. It's not hard to do.  Oh, and I have a blanket on the sofa to put over my legs in the evening to keep me warmer.  Small changes can add up to long term savings.  Think about your energy bill. Ask yourself what IS using all that energy?  Do you need your pc switched on if you're watching TV or at work for example?  Certainly why leave lights on (other than for security), or the heating on high if you're not at home?

I have friends living in similar size homes with similar size occupants who pay £400-£500 per month in the winter months.  Who wants to spend that sort of money just so they can walk round in a T. shirt in winter?  Or not expend all that energy lifting their arm to turn off a light switch? That's not even an excuse these days with the advent of our voice assistants.  Or leave TV's talking to themselves because it's hard picking up a remote and turning it off?  Get into the habit of doing it.  Nag your kids to do it.  It certainly is learned behaviour much like tossing litter out your car when driving... you're either taught not to do it, or you do it without thinking about it.

Use the internet to research 'ways to reduce energy usage in the home' or something similar.  There are hundreds of ideas out there that might be applicable for you to try out.  If you don't bother, then why are you here reading this site? I'm not selling get rich quick schemes here, I'm saying you need to take some responsibility for your costs and if you want some extra pennies to play with, you need to make some changes.  Don't expect the government to throw money at you, why should they when you can help yourself first.

This site isn't for those who don't have money worries.  Who have plenty to pay all their bills and buy whatever they want without thinking about it.  This site is for people who want to make their money go further, who want to reduce their outgoings, clear down some debt and have a bit more disposable income at the end of the month to play with.

It's not going to be hard for you, it's purely a mindset to get your head around as are all the things I'll talk about.  It's about being aware of simple things you can do to reduce your outgoings which will give you more cash for you and your family to live on.

And not just that.  Think about our planet for a minute.  

There was the most stunning sunset over Poole Harbour last night.  If I can reduce my consumption of natural elements of the planet by reducing my use of its energy and natural materials, then that sunset is going to be around for humans to enjoy for longer in the future.  I am just one individual but if we all think about it like that, think about our descendants and the world we will leave them to live in, why can't we each do our little bit to help where we can?