Ten Ways You can Save Energy for Under £20

Here are ten simple ways you can save energy at home, and reduce your bills. Each one of these is under £20.

Manual Socket Timers

These little timers turn off appliances at the plug, so you don’t have to remember to. You set the time controls to whatever suits you. Turning your TV off at the socket with one of these could save £30 per year.

Typical cost: £4.99

Brand we recommend: Defender – Solon Equipment

Energy Efficient Light Bulbs

Switch to efficient light bulbs, and you could save from £3 to £6 per bulb per year. They are good for your pocket and good for the planet.

Typical cost: £5.99

Brand we recommend: Status International

Night Lights

Do you leave on lights during the night for safety or reassurance? Well, these night lights are low energy – using them instead of leaving a main light on through the night will save you money and energy.

Typical cost: £4.99

Brand we recommend: Defender – Solon Equipment

Remote Plug Sockets

These are like manual socket timers, but remote controlled. A remote plug socket gives more flexibility than a timer, they’re particularly useful if you have difficulty bending down to use mains sockets. Bonus, they save energy just the same.

Typical cost: £5.99

Brand we recommend: Status International

Letter Box brushes

Simple brushes around letter boxes can stop draughts and increase warmth. Pro-tip: you may also be able to use the brushes around attic hatches. Stopping draughts saves money.

Typical cost: £9.99

Brand we recommend: Stormguard

Insulation Tape

This simple and versatile tape can be used externally in wet conditions and internally. It seals gaps around doors and windows, stopping draughts.

Typical cost: £9.99

Brand we recommend: Stormguard

Door Draught Excluders

Draught excluders come in many forms and can be the easiest way to stop your heat escaping. Stopping draughts could save you £25 per year.

Typical cost: £11

Brand we recommend: Tesa

Radiator Foils

These are reflective panels that sit behind your radiator. The foils reflect heat from the radiator back into the room, reducing heat loss and keeping you warmer. What’s not to like about that?

Typical cost: £19.99 (3 sheets)

Brand we recommend: Radflex

Cold Alarms

It’s better to keep your home at a steady temperature – if the temperature drops too low, your heating system may need to use lots of energy to bring the temperature up again. A cold alarm provides a series of visual and audible warnings when the temperature in your home drops.

Typical cost: £9.99

Brand we recommend: Gti

Chimney Pillows

Chimneys suck warm air out of your house. A chimney pillow (sometimes called chimney balloon) stops the heat escaping– it’s like double glazing for your chimney.

Typical cost: £14.99

Brand we recommend: Stormguard