Lee Browne, dad of two and owner of Browne Gas & Heating, offers some expert advice on cutting those fuel bills
Have you seen the headlines? Household bills are on the rise, with the BBC suggesting that the annual energy bill for a household using a typical amount of gas and electricity is going up by £111 a year to £1,849 from April.
So what can we all do to help minimise the impact of these price rises? For most of us, it’s a matter of remembering the basics and putting them into place as soon as possible. To help out, here’s my top ten tips for reducing your energy bills.
- Have your boiler serviced to maintain safety and efficiency. It is essential to have your gas appliances serviced every 12 months to help maintain, safety and efficiency. Plus, you will need to make sure you are up to date to protect your manufacture’s guarantees. As part of the service that we offer, we include a water test to check inhibitor and corrosion levels.
- Do your radiators have cold spots? This generally means that there’s a cold spot at the bottom caused by a build-up of sludge. This can mean that your radiator just isn’t working as efficiently as it should be. The best answer is to book in a chemical cleanse which will get rid of the grubby gunk!
- Turn room thermostat down a degree or two. Yes, it might sound obvious, but this is often overlooked and can make quite a difference to your energy bills.
- Turn thermostatic radiator valves down to low in rooms you don’t use.
- Make sure your hot water cylinder and associated pipework is well insulated. To help out with this, you can apply for grant from the Government at https://www.gov.uk/apply-great-british-insulation-scheme
- Keep doors closed. OK, you’re right, with children running around, this might seem like a losing battle, but it really does make a difference.
- Have a smart meter installed so you can see what your usage is on a daily basis. You can find out more about this by clicking here.
- Don’t leave lights on and, where possible, use energy efficient light bulbs
- Don’t fill your kettle to the top when you only need enough for a cuppa.
- Loft Insulation is a no-brainer – after all, why do you want all of that lovely, paid for heat disappearing out of the roof! Again, you can fine the details at https://www.gov.uk/apply-great-british-insulation-scheme
