Whether you are feeling concerned about global warming, and want to do your bit to help, or just want to save some money on your fuel bills – our energy saving tips should provide some valuable ideas. Ranging from the easy to achieve through to the slightly more ambitious, our top tips are here to offer inspiration.

1. Kettle

Your kettle is often a source of wasted energy. Every time you have water left after you have made your tea or coffee, you have wasted energy heating water you didn’t need. Try to only boil what you need – making sure you cover the heating element of course, and you should start to see savings.

When cooking, instead of filling your pans with cold water to boil your carrots, why not boil the water you require in the kettle first? Not only is this more efficient, but your food will likely be ready sooner, saving you time and money.

2. Turn it off, don’t leave it waiting...

In our remote control culture we don’t like leaving our sofa unless we absolutely have to. Switching ‘off’ on the remote will switch the TV off, won’t it? No, actually. It just puts it on standby – a state of waiting until you require it again. Although it appears off, it is still using electricity. A whopping 6% of the average electricity bill is paying for devices on standby.

So next time, switch it off at the plug. Save money and get some exercise too.

3. Icy, I see...

If you open your fridge or freezer and find a little bit of the arctic, then it is time to defrost. Defrosting your fridge and freezer will help them run more efficiently, and chances are you might even discover a long forgotten frozen pizza which will come as a nice reward for your hard work.

4. Washing Machine

We all know that not filling it up is going to be inefficient, but if we all remembered that a wash cycle can cost up to £2 in electricity then perhaps we would try to get our money’s worth. Don’t overfill, but make sure that there is a full load in there before you press start.

You can also get away with washing your clothes on the coolest temperature now – as modern washing powders are designed to be more eco-friendly, and work even at low temperatures.

5. Tumble Dryers

Quite simply, avoid. Modern homes tend to have airing cupboards, making use of the heat emitted from the hot water tank. Putting your clothes in here overnight will usually have them dry for the next day, and having them on a clothes horse should have them dried within a few days.

Tumble dryers use a lot of electricity to complete a task which would happen over time anyway – so why not save your money and invest in a washing line or clothes horse?

6. Lightbulbs

As the laws have changed, finding the old style light bulbs has become almost impossible, forcing us all to have the energy efficient versions instead. Whilst there have been complaints about them not being as bright, technology has improved, and you can now find bulbs with the ‘equivalent value’ to your traditional bulbs.

Yes, they may take a little while to warm up – but just think of the huge 80% you will be saving from your lighting costs.

7. Feeling hot, hot, hot

Heating things too much is a good way to have high bills and waste energy. So don’t.

Check the thermostat on your hot water tank to make sure it isn’t heating your water too much. 60 degrees should be about right for most people – meaning that you can have a nice warm shower without the risk of scalding.

Similarly, if you can turn down the thermostat on your central heating by just 1 degree you could save up to 10% on your heating bill. So dig out that old woolly jumper knitted by Aunt Mary and save, save, save.

8. Straight A’s

You don’t need to be a genius to work out the energy efficiency ratings for appliances these days – they range from A to G – with A having top marks for efficiency. So when you’re next looking for a new oven, toaster, or kettle – check the efficiency rating, and get the best you can afford.

Windows, doors and other home improvements can come with these ratings too – so always ask.

9. Insulation

Once you have made your house nice and toasty, you want it to stay that way. Insulation is a great way to avoid heating the feet of the birds on the roof, and the outside of your home. There are many different types of insulation, but among the most common are loft insulation and cavity wall insulation. Although these are expensive to put in, there are sometimes government grants available – and they will save you over £100 a year each.

10. Renewable energy

If you would like to see your fuel bills drop to half of their current level, (and you feel like making a big investment) you could look into having your own supply of renewable energy. Solar panels are becoming more affordable, and wind turbines are an option if you have the land available.