50 energy-saving ideas you can implement right now
In the 10 years since GloBird Energy opened for business, we’ve regularly talked and written about saving energy, along the way offering a wide range of energy-saving ideas and tips.
More importantly, we’ve done our best to offer practical energy plans to help you keep your energy bills as low as possible.
Right now, we think the best way to save energy and keep your bills down is our FOUR4FREE plan, which offers four hours of free usage, between 10 am and 2 pm, every day.
On top of that, you get a 3% discount on both your usage and supply charges when you pay on time with Direct Debit.
In case that doesn’t seem like enough of a win for you, we’ve come up with 50 other energy-saving ideas, some of which you’ll have heard of before and a few of which you might roll your eyes at … but you just never know what new idea might work for you.
Simple, common tips
We’d be surprised if you haven’t heard about these before but perhaps mentioning them again might make you think it’s time to give one or more of them a try.
1. Switch all your light globes to LED bulbs
2. Install a programmable or smart thermostat
3. Seal gaps around doors and windows with weatherstripping or caulk
4. Insulate your attic – heat rises and vanishes up there
5. Lag your hot water pipes and cylinder
6. Only boil as much water as you need in the kettle
7. Wash clothes at 30°C instead of 60°C
8. Air-dry clothes instead of using a tumble dryer
9. Run dishwashers and washing machines on off-peak hours (or during your FOUR4FREE)
10. Unplug devices on standby: TVs, games consoles, and chargers all silently sip power
Heating and cooling savers
As you probably know, heating in winter and cooling in summer can account for around 40% of the total annual energy use of the average household (depending on the climate where you live, it could be even more).
1. Keep internal doors closed to trap heat in rooms you’re using
2. Install heavy curtains and close them at dusk to trap warmth
3. Get some draught snakes to stop cold air from infiltrating the rooms that you’re heating (a rolled-up towel can do the job, too)
4. Use ceiling fans in reverse (clockwise) in winter to push warm air down
5. Clean filters, blades, panels, tops, fronts, and backs of all heaters and coolers regularly (at least before winter for heaters and before summer for air-conditioning units)
6. Put reflective foil panels behind radiators on external walls
7. Use a hot water bottle instead of an electric blanket
8. Place a shelf just above a radiator to direct heat into the room rather than straight up to the ceiling
9. Put rugs on bare floors to reduce heat loss through the floor
10. Turn your water heater down to 60°C if it’s set higher
Kitchen tricks
Cooking can be quite energy intensive but also inefficient. The longer you spend in the kitchen, the more opportunities you have to save energy with some simple methods.
1. Match pot size to ring size on the hob
2. Put lids on pots so food cooks faster
3. Cook multiple dishes in the oven at once
4. Keep your oven door closed while cooking and use the light to check on food (every time you open it, you lose 20°C)
5. Use a pressure cooker, which can cut cooking times by up to 70%
6. Use a slow cooker (they use roughly the same energy as a light bulb)
7. Use a microwave or air fryer instead of a full oven when possible
8. Batch cook and freeze meals to reduce repeated oven use
9. Let hot food cool before putting it in the fridge
10. Defrost your freezer regularly (ice buildup makes it work harder)
11. Keep your fridge around 70% full (it stays cold more efficiently), but don’t overstuff it
Building and technology upgrades
Some of these are genuine upgrades, in that they will cost a bit up front (and may need a professional to do the work), but the long-term savings are the payoff.
1. Use smart plugs to automatically kill vampire loads on a schedule
2. Use motion-sensor lighting in hallways, bathrooms, and garages so lights never get left on
3. Get a home energy monitor so you can see what’s using power in real time, as awareness tends to change habits and reduce usage
4. Install solar panels
5. Add a solar thermal panel just for hot water (this is cheaper than full solar PV and very effective)
6. Consider a heat pump (especially effective if you can pair it with solar)
7. Install cavity wall insulation, one of the highest-return investments in home energy
8. Insulate your garage door (often a completely forgotten source of cold air into the home)
9. Add secondary glazing to single-glazed windows (cheaper than full replacement and nearly as effective)
Slightly left-field ideas
Here’s where it gets interesting. Some of these ideas will be light-bulb moments for some people; things you’ve never thought of but actually make perfect sense for you and your lifestyle. You’re welcome!
1. Wear a jumper. Genuinely the most effective intervention known to humanity, and one your parents were right about
2. Cook dinner later in winter: the oven warms your kitchen, and the warmth lingers into the evening
3. Have a shorter shower by using a kitchen timer and treating it as a challenge
4. Time your shower to a favourite (possibly shower-themed) song rather than a clock
5. Plant deciduous trees on the south-facing side of your home, as they will shade it in summer and lose leaves to let the sun in during winter
6. Fill unused spaces in your freezer with bags or bottles of water (because a full freezer is more efficient)
7. Apply window film to your glass in winter. Transparent plastic film on the inside of windowpanes creates an insulating air gap for almost nothing
8. Wrap yourself in a blanket while watching TV, utilising your own body heat instead of keeping the heating on all the way until bedtime
9. Get a dog or a cat. A warm pet on your lap is essentially a biological hot water bottle
10. Consider a no-screen hour before bed, not just to reduce standby power and save energy, but also because it’s good for your sleep
Winter is coming, so make some changes now
There might only be four or five things out of the 50 we’ve listed that you’re not already doing but could do pretty easily. While making one change might not seem like it’ll have a big impact on your energy use, every little bit helps, and so three or six or eight small changes will add up.
Of course, the biggest overall impact usually comes from insulation and heating controls, but changing a few habits will make you a savvier energy user for life.
Meanwhile, check out our FOUR4FREE plan to see whether that’s a practical starting point for your journey to using less energy and lowering your bills.