Stop Wasting Energy!

1. Turn your thermostat down. Reducing your room temperature by 1°C could cut your heating bills by up to 10 percent and typically saves around £55 per year. If you have a programmer, set your heating and hot water to come on only when required rather than all the time.

2. Is your water too hot? Your cylinder thermostat should be set at 60°C/140°F.

3. Close your curtains at dusk to stop heat escaping through the windows and check for draughts around windows and doors.

4. Always turn off the lights when you leave a room.

5. Don't leave appliances on standby and remember not to leave laptops and mobile phones on charge unnecessarily.

6. If possible, fill up the washing machine, tumble dryer or dishwasher: one full load uses less energy than two half loads.

7. Only boil as much water as you need (but remember to cover the elements if you're using an electric kettle).

8. A dripping hot water tap wastes energy and in one week wastes enough hot water to fill half a bath, so fix leaking taps and make sure they're fully turned off!

9. Use energy saving lightbulbs. They last up to 10 times longer than ordinary bulbs, and using one can save you around £40 over the lifetime of the bulb.This saving could be around £65 over its lifetime if you're replacing a high wattage incandescent bulb, or one used for more than a few hours a day.

10. Do a home energy check available at www. energysavingtrust.org.uk . Just answer some simple questions about your home and they'll give you a free, impartial report telling you how you can save up to £300 a year on your household energy bills.

11. Because around half of heat loss in a typical home is through the walls and loft, it's worth checking whether yours are insulated.

12. Boilers account for around 60% of the carbon dioxide emissions in a gas heated home. By replacing an old G rated boiler with a new high efficiency condensing boiler and improving your heating controls, you will significantly cut your home's carbon dioxide emissions and could save as much as £235 a year.

13. Home appliances account for a significant chunk of your household CO₂ emissions, so it's in your interests to look for the Energy Saving Trust Recommended logo when buying appliances. It's your guarantee that these products are the most energy efficient in their category, will cost less to run and help lower CO₂ emissions.

14. Renewable energy technologies like wind turbines, solar panels and biomass heaters offer an alternative to fossil fuels and can help reduce your homes CO2 emissions. There are financial benefits too. Investing in a renewable energy technology now basically means pre-buying energy at today’s prices for a future where energy may cost a lot more. If fuel prices rise, your pay back would happen even sooner.

Find more information on energy saving, environmental issues and renewable energy sources, as well as some useful online tools that will help you improve energy efficiency of your home at www.energysavingtrust.org.uk