How to save money on your energy bills

At OVO, we’re always looking for ways to help you save on your home heating and energy costs.

One of the best ways you can save on your heating bills is to improve your home’s energy efficiency. This doesn’t always have to cost a lot of money or a lot of time. There are many quick and easy things you can do around the home to help lower your energy bills.

Here are our top ways to help you save energy and money at home:

1. Set your boiler at the correct pressure

The ideal boiler pressure is between 1.0 and 1.5, and ideally at 1.5. If your gauge reads below 1, then you could be wasting gas. And if the gauge reads over 2, then the pressure is too high and you’re probably putting unnecessary strain on your boiler. This can increase the chance of your boiler developing a fault.

Repairs can be costly. So checking your boiler pressure is a quick way to avoid unnecessary repair bills and energy costs.

2. Insulate your home

If your home is uninsulated, you could be losing around 25% of heat through your roof alone¹ – and more through the walls, floor, windows, and doors. So by properly insulating, you can keep more of your precious heat in and start saving money on your energy bills right away.

Here are a few suggestions:

• Wall and loft insulation prevent heat from escaping, so it’s an effective way to reduce heat loss and reduce heating bills.
• Double glazing is another great way to hold onto the heat you’ve paid for.
• Draught excluders also work as a cheaper alternative – even if you only use them in the cold winter months.
• Your home can lose heat through the floor as well as the roof. Insulation under the floorboards should help to trap in more warmth.
• If you have a hot water tank, make sure it’s well insulated and that all the connecting pipes are too. This normally would have been taken care of when your central heating was installed.

You might even be eligible for free or discounted insulation with the Great British Insulation Scheme.

3. Save on energy sources

You can make some simple changes to help reduce energy waste:

• Turning off lights – get in the habit of turning lights off when you leave a room.
• Switching to energy-saving light bulbs – they last up to 10 times longer and each one can save you up to £4 a year.²
• Switching off at the plug – turn electrical items off at the plug when you’re not using them.
• Checking fridge temperature – setting it between 3°C to 5°C is the best temperature for energy efficiency.
• Washing clothes at 30° – you can save 40% on your energy use by turning down the temperature.³

These next 2 cost more, but can have a big impact on household energy use.

• Choose an energy efficient boiler – Your boiler should have a label to show its energy rating. An A rated boiler has to be at least 92% efficient.⁴
• Choose A-rated appliances – Your household appliances should also have a label that shows their energy rating. An A rating means an electrical appliance is the most energy efficient and will be the cheapest to run. It might be a good idea to check your kitchen appliances and washing machine as these tend to get used frequently.

4. Draught-proof your home

Draught-proofing is one of the cheapest and most effective ways to keep your precious heat in. To draught-proof, you need to block up the unwanted gaps that let cold air in and warm air out – such as letterboxes, keyholes or under doors.

Over time, the savings can stack up. For example, fitting draught excluders to your doors and windows could save you £40 a year on your heating bills.⁵

5. Keep tabs on your thermostat temperature

Keeping an eye on your thermostat and turning it down when you don’t need it is an easy way to save fuel and money on your bills. You could save around £90 a year simply by turning it down 1 degree.⁶

Using room thermostats and thermostatic radiator controls also let you set the temperature for each room, instead of having one dedicated temperature for the whole house. This helps to stop energy waste by only heating the rooms that you’re using.

Smart thermostats are good too, as they give you greater control over your central heating by letting you remotely control your home's temperature via a tablet or smartphone. You can remotely switch it off, if you’re going to be away longer than planned – or switch it on, if you're coming home early. A smart thermostat can also monitor your heating habits and learn to control your energy use in the most efficient way for your routine. This is a great way to avoid spending money and wasting energy when you don’t need to.

6. Check if you need an upgrade

Boilers are meant to last between 10 and 15 years. So, if your boiler is getting close to its 10th birthday, it might be time to start thinking about an upgrade. You might also need a new boiler if you notice any of these things:

• Your radiators are taking longer to heat up – if you’ve already tried bleeding them and that didn’t work, you’ll need to arrange for a heating engineer to take a look
• Your boiler is making an unusual noise – if there’s any banging, clunking and whirring sounds, you need to call a Gas Safe engineer
• Your boiler is giving off a bad smell – a healthy boiler shouldn’t smell, so you should take immediate action and call a Gas Safe engineer
• Your energy bills are increasing – check to see if your gas meter is registering a higher gas use than you'd expect
• Your boiler is leaking – this means there is a fault, so you must take immediate action and call a Gas Safe engineer

Since all new boilers are now A-rated for efficiency, a new up-to-date model will help you to heat your water and home – without wasting fuel.

7. Finally – consider regular servicing

A simple way to avoid the hassle of an unexpected and expensive repair bill is to make sure you’re maintaining your boiler.

Regularly boiler servicing will help to keep it operating at peak performance throughout the year. Also, a regular service means you can spot any issues before they have the chance to develop into bigger and more costly problems. Here’s more information about our boiler cover and annual servicing.