Don’t know where to start?
Learn simple and effective ways to reduce your energy consumption.
1. Install solar panels and battery
Solar panels capture the sun’s energy and convert it into electricity to use in your home. Adding a battery means you can also store this energy to use when you need it. Panels don’t need direct sunlight, so they work even on cloudy days. Solar panel suppliers could install them on your rooftop, in your garden or on a garage or shed. They can last 25 years or more.
- Reduce your energy bills - You generate free, renewable energy
- Sell the energy you don’t use - Get paid for any energy you generate but don’t use
- Use a battery to store any extra energy you make - You can store electricity for times when you’re using more, or when it’s dark outside
- Improve your Energy Performance Certificate (EPC) rating - Installing solar panels could improve your EPC rating and lower your carbon footprint.
2. Swap to an air source heat pump
An air source heat pump takes air from outside. Then using electricity, the pump compresses the air, releasing it at a higher temperature. The heat is then sent to radiators and underfloor heating. And any excess can be stored in a water tank.
- Reduce your energy use - Depending on how it's designed and how you use it, you can save money on your energy bills
- You could get a government grant - You could get up to £7,500 towards installation with a government grant
- Cut your carbon emissions - Your emissions are lower than if you were using a gas or oil boiler.
Source: Energy Saving Trust
3. Insulate your home
Did you know about a third of all the heat lost in homes without insulation escapes through the walls? It’s important to make sure your home is well insulated before making larger energy-efficient improvements, like installing a heat pump. Stopping heat escaping your home means you won’t need to keep the heating on so much, which in turn means lower bills.
Here are a few things you can do:
- improve your loft, wall and floor insulation
- upgrade to double or triple-glazed window
- upgrade your ventilation.
Source: Energy Saving Trust
4. Make simple changes
Smart tech and other improvements mean there are some swaps and add-ons you can use to make your home more energy efficient:
- replace light bulbs with energy-efficient LEDs
- get smart thermostats and radiator valves to help save on energy costs
- install a smart meter to help monitor your energy usage.
If you own an electric vehicle, an EV charger lets you charge it from the comfort of your home. And if you already have solar panels, you could charge your vehicle with electricity generated from them.