Many of us are looking for easy ways to save money by reducing our energy use. It could be through making small adjustments, like turning off devices usually left on standby, or bigger changes, such as buying more energy-efficient appliances - it all adds up! We’ve asked the experts for the best ways to use less energy every day. From getting savvy with your smart meter to tweaking the thermostat, here are 15 ways to cut your energy costs…
Q What do the energy labels on household appliances mean?
A The labels show how efficient an appliance is in other words, how much energy (and therefore cash) it requires to run. One way to save money on your energy bills is to replace old appliances, as newer models use less energy than older ones. Modern fridge-freezers, for instance, consume around 40-per-cent less energy than their counterparts from 10 years ago, so might cost you £60 a year to run rather than £100.
Always check an appliance's energy label before buying it. The scale is the same whether you're buying a fridge, dishwasher or TV, but it was recently updated to reflect the improved efficiency of today's devices. 'Older appliances could get an energy rating of A+++, but the new A to G scale is easier to understand,' says Sophie Beckett-Smith, fridge-freezer expert at AO. 'This simpler system not only makes it easier to see which appliances are the most energy efficient, but also allows room for innovation. That's because the most-efficient appliances on the market now get a B or C rating, meaning manufacturers can increase the energy efficiency of appliances even further in the future.'
