Christmas is round the corner and with it comes all the magic, the festive cheer… and the spending.
And in the middle of a cost of living and energy crisis, saving money on your bills is something millions of people around the UK will be thinking about.
To help, we’ve put together a handy guide on the top 11 ways to save on your energy bill this Christmas.
Turn your oven off early
The average running time for an oven on Christmas day is five hours, using roughly 4.35 kilowatt hours of energy — that’s almost a week’s worth of cooking in a single day.
Turning the oven off 5-10 minutes before you finish cooking will save energy, and the residual heat will be more than enough to continue cooking whatever’s inside.
You should also consider leaving the oven door open after you’re done, as the heat will keep your kitchen warmer for longer. Just be careful if you have children running around.
Precook the veggies
Something as simple as parboiling your roast potatoes can reduce the time they take to cook in the oven, saving energy and money.
Not only that, but this handy technique can give your roasties the perfect texture. What’s better than impressing the whole family and saving on your energy bills?
Another quick thing to consider is using glass cookware, because it cools slower than metal and this means you’re less likely to need to reheat food.
Lower your thermostat
Turning your thermostat down just one degree lower can save you up to £128 a year. The average person can’t tell the difference between a single degree of heat, so heating your home at 19°C instead of 20°C will still feel nice and toasty in the winter.
Setting the temperature to 18°C is even better, and is more than enough for most adults according to the World Health Organisation. It’s only recommended to go above this for the very young and the very old.
Keeping the thermostat lower will also conserve gas, and with blackouts a real – if slim – possibility this winter, the more people using less gas, the lower the chance of this actually happening.
Only heat the rooms you use
It’s tedious having to manually adjust each radiator, but doing so can save around £55 each year and reduce your gas usage by 4.5%.
Don’t forget to keep the doors closed on unused rooms too, so the heat doesn’t leak in and go to waste.
If you have a thermostat that can control the temperature of rooms separately, you can turn off the heating in unused rooms, and lower the temperature in rooms you’re not using, but plan to use later on.
Bleed your radiators
Radiators become less efficient when air is trapped in them, as it takes them longer to heat up and this uses more fuel.
Bleeding them releases this trapped air, helping the hot water flow more easily and getting your home warmer faster.
A good way to tell if a radiator needs bleeding is to check for cold patches, but make sure the radiator isn’t too hot otherwise you could burn yourself.
Another way to tell is if your radiator makes gurgling noises when heating up — this is a clear indication of trapped air bubbles.
Be careful when bleeding your radiator, because you’ll need a container to hold the water that’ll come out.
Block draughts
Have a walk around your home and identify any gaps in windows and doors that could be letting heat escape.
If you have a tumble dryer with a ventilation pipe leading outside, make sure the hole in the wall doesn’t have obvious gaps. You can fill this with anything from crumpled up newspapers to old or spare bedding.
Draughty windows can be sealed with rolls of sticky foam that you place around the edges — this is a cheap but highly effective way to stop warmth leaking out.
For doors, you can purchase a draught excluder to place at the base. These are usually filled with beans like those found in a bean bag and can be picked up for under £10.
Keep the heat in
Closing your curtains or blinds in the evening is a simple but effective way to reduce heat loss by up to 17%.
If your curtains cover your radiator, then leave it uncovered when it’s on but close the curtains when the heating is turned off.
Adjust your boiler’s flow temperature
If you own a combi boiler, you’ll probably be able to adjust the flow temperature. Turning it down from 80°C to 60°C can save up to £112 per year, without lowering the temperature of your home.
This is the same for your shower temperature, especially if you’re someone who balances the hot water by turning up the cold water. Why waste more water and energy when you can simply adjust the flow temperature?
Don’t go lower than 60°C however, because you run the risk of letting legionella bacteria develop, which can cause Legionnaires disease.
Cover your windows
Not everyone has double glazing and even those that do can still struggle to keep as much heat in as possible.
One cheap and easy way to stop heat escaping is by applying either cling film or bubble wrap over your windows.
You’ll create a gap between your windows — or an additional gap if you already have double glazing — which will trap heat that’d normally leak outside.
Give your hot water cylinder a jacket
Spending just £15-£22 on an insulating jacket for your hot water cylinder can save up to £80 a year, according to the Energy Saving Trust.
When a cylinder isn’t insulated with a jacket, it’ll start leaking warmth the minute you stop heating it. A jacket keeps your cylinder nice and cosy, saving you money on your energy bills and meaning you have warm water available for longer.
Wash your clothes at 30°C
This is a tip thrown around all the time, but it’s still one to keep in mind. Washing at 30°C can save up to £40 a year, and most washing powders and detergents work brilliantly at this temperature.
Summary
These tips aren’t just for Christmas — you’ll find you can save money throughout the year even if you only use a handful.
If you’re keen to find more ways to save money on your bills, we have more helpful articles than you can fit under a Christmas tree.
From insulating your home to solar panels, keeping your energy costs down doesn’t have to come at the expense of the environment.
