Cost of living: Smart ways to reduce your energy usage to pay less than the £2500 cap

With the cost-of-living spiralling, households are being offered clever ways to reduce their typical energy usage around the home.

The frugal team at NetVoucherCodes.co.uk are advising people on easy methods to save on household energy usage to help cut back on the monthly costs.

As the Government announces a £2500 energy price cap for the next two years, families are looking for simple ways to adapt within their households so they can help save on their rising energy costs.

Practical solutions such as cutting the shower time by one minute or investing in smart plugs around the house can help knock off over £100 on a monthly energy bill.

John Stirzaker, online consumer expert from NetVoucherCodes.co.uk said: “We want to help people who are worried about their monthly energy bills rising.

With the recently announced price cap, we’ve found smart ways to cut back on typical energy usage at home, from household habits to what can be easily installed in the living room.

“Taking measures to cut back on weekly energy usage such as batch cooking on a Sunday night and making sure radiators aren’t blocked by furniture can make a big difference to the monthly energy statement.”

Here are NetVoucherCodes.co.uk’s smart ways to reduce energy usage around the home:

Invest in a heated airer

Sticking on the dryer can be one of the biggest energy drainers in the household. When suitable, invest in a heated airer as an alternative solution, which can cut the costs of drying in half and will only take an extra hour or two.

Cut a minute out of shower time

While everyone loves a long shower, shortening the time spent in a shower by taking off a minute per time spent, can save over £50 annually. This is a simple solution to cutting back on household costs.

Install smart devices

To make it easier to monitor household energy usage, invest in a smart metre and plugs for around the house. Have a look at home-friendly apps where you can turn off and on all the lights by a touch of a button to make it easier than ever to stop wasting energy.

Batch cooking lunches

With the kids back to school, spend Sunday night batch cooking some meals to freeze and use later in the week. This could also be an efficient way to cut the costs of using kitchen appliances over long periods as well as preventing overspending during lunch breaks.

Give the radiator space

Make sure to keep the sofa and any other household furnishings away from radiators when they’re turned on. Boilers can become overworked if the airflow is blocked, so make sure to rearrange the furniture and keep them at least six inches away from radiators once the weather starts to cool down.

Use a washing bowl

To prevent constant running water when doing the dishes, simply use a washing bowl as a quick solution to prevent the extra pennies being wasted throughout the week. You could take this a step further by hand-washing certain clothes as a cheaper alternative to the washing machine.

Invest in a digital budget planner

Get prepared early by allocating spending money ahead of the rise in energy bills. Figure out which expenses can be spared and having the figures laid out in front can help you visualise where you can allow for extra money to be put into a money pot.

Check your loft insulation

Have a look in the loft for the insulation conditions before the weather starts to take a turn. With solid insulation, it’ll keep the house warmer throughout the winter and will help reduce the need to turn on the heating as an efficient way to keep the energy costs down.

Use less heat with carpet fitted rooms

While it won’t heat up a home automatically, fitted carpets help to retain heat in the room compared to wooden flooring. When you turn on the radiator, you’ll be able to leave it on for a limited time and not have the need to leave it on throughout the day.

Keep on top of switching off plugs

Before heading out of the house, quickly spend a minute turning off the switches to ensure devices are fully switched off and won’t burn energy. Leaving devices in standby mode can waste great amounts of energy, with TVs and phone chargers being some of the worst to leave on standby mode.

Install a water alarm

Purchasing a water sensor will help detect any water leakages which has been covertly driving up the household bills. Having it placed around household appliances will help you quickly act on any leaks to prevent any further costs.

Make the most of eco settings

If your washing machine or dishwasher have an eco setting, always make sure to use them more consistently to spare extra energy usage. The devices will use less water and less energy but will still have great results.

Switch up the working from home

If you work from home and don’t have any meetings for the afternoon, head down to a local coffee shop to make the most of free wifi and change of environment. Changing the amount of energy used during a couple afternoons during the week can make a big difference to the bills.

Solar power banks

Instead of leaving the chargers on all day to burn energy, invest in solar power banks as an efficient solution to using less electricity. With Black Friday on the horizon, have a look early for special deals to get the best for your buck.

Turn off unused radiators

Have a look round the house to figure out whether there’s any radiators which don’t need to be turned on, particularly if all of your radiators turn on automatically once the heating switches on. For any empty rooms in the house, switch off the radiator and keep any doors out to prevent the boiler from overworking for wasted space.