Save energy at home: the changes that actually add up
Energy prices rose again in July 2026. You can’t control the price of a unit of gas — but you can control how many units you use. This guide lists the changes that make a real difference, roughly biggest first, with honest numbers.
First, a promise about those numbers. Most published savings figures — including the Energy Saving Trust’s — were calculated at 2023–24 prices, and nobody has restated them under the current price cap. So treat every figure here as a good ballpark, not a guarantee. Where a source states its price basis, we say so.
The two-minute fix most homes miss: boiler flow temperature
If you have a combi boiler (no hot water cylinder), it probably left the factory set to heat water to 70–80°C. Most homes don’t need that. Turning the flow temperature down to 60°C or below makes the boiler run in its efficient “condensing” mode more often — same warm house, less gas.
Nesta, the innovation charity behind the Money Saving Boiler Challenge, puts the saving at about £65 a year for an average household (calculated at September 2023 prices). Their site walks you through your exact boiler model.
Two important caveats. Your radiators will warm up more slowly — the house still reaches the same temperature, it just takes a little longer. And this tip is for combi boilers only. If you have a hot water cylinder, don’t turn the cylinder below 60°C — that creates a risk of legionella bacteria in stored water.
Heating: small turns, big numbers
Heating is most of a typical bill, so heating tweaks top the table.
Turn the thermostat down one degree. If 22°C feels the same as 21°C, that single degree is worth roughly £90–£120 a year for a typical home (the Energy Saving Trust quotes both figures on different pages — we’ve given you the range). Don’t do this at the expense of your health: if you’re older, unwell or have young children, heat your home to what keeps you well.
Use the controls you have. A working thermostat, a timer and radiator valves (TRVs) — set so you heat the rooms you use, when you use them — save around £100 a year in a home that wasn’t using them before.
Turn radiators down in rooms you rarely use. No verified standalone figure exists for this one, but the government’s energy campaign bundles it with flow temperature and draught-fixing at around £100 a year combined.
Stop paying to heat the street
Draught-proofing windows, doors, letterboxes and floor gaps saves roughly £55–£85 a year depending on whose page you read, and a DIY job costs a few pounds per door or window. One safety rule: never block extractor fans, airbricks, trickle vents or any fixed ventilation — especially in rooms with gas appliances. Homes need to breathe; they just don’t need a howling gale under the front door.
Got an unused chimney? A chimney draught excluder costs about £25 and saves around £60 a year. Remove it before you ever light a fire.
Hot water cylinder owners: if your cylinder jacket is thin or missing, a British Standard 80mm jacket costs around £18 and saves about £40 a year (Energy Saving Trust, at January 2024 prices). That’s one of the fastest paybacks in this guide.
Radiator reflector panels behind radiators on uninsulated external walls save around £25 a year and cost about £13. Only worth it on external walls without wall insulation.
The quiet money: appliances and habits
- Standby. The typical household spends about £45 a year powering devices that are “off”. Citizens Advice calculates this at a 25p/kWh electricity price — close to today’s capped rate — so this figure is more current than most. Don’t unplug things that need power (fridges, recording boxes).
- Washing. Wash at 30°C and cut one load a week: about £26 a year.
- Drying. Air-dry instead of tumble drying: about £50 a year. A condenser tumble dryer costs roughly £1.25 per cycle at current-ish prices; a heated airer about 6p an hour; a washing line is free.
- Showers. Keeping showers to four minutes saves around £45 a year, and a £5 tap aerator another £20 or so.
- Kitchen. Boil only the water you need (
£10 a year), run the dishwasher only when full (£10), swap one bath a week for a shower (~£10). Small, but they’re free. - Lighting. If you still have halogen spotlights, replacing them with LEDs saves around £45 a year — Ofgem quotes up to £4 per bulb per year. Turning lights off when you leave a room: another £7–8.
What about a smart meter?
A smart meter is free to have installed and doesn’t save money by itself — no primary source publishes a verified saving figure, so we won’t invent one. What it does do is end estimated bills and show you, on the in-home display, what your home is burning in pounds and pence per hour. People tend to find their own worst habits within a week. It also unlocks cheaper time-of-use tariffs, which are becoming more common — more on that in our guide to what’s changing with energy bills.
Where this fits in the bigger picture
Cutting waste is step three of a sensible order: first check you’re not overpaying for each unit (see how to cut your gas and electricity bill), then claim any help you’re entitled to, then use less. And if your home leaks heat because it lacks insulation, the state may pay to fix that — see our guide to free insulation and heating grants.
Sources
- Energy Saving Trust — Quick tips to save energy
- Energy Saving Trust — Thermostats and heating controls
- Energy Saving Trust — Draught-proofing
- Nesta — Money Saving Boiler Challenge (flow temperature)
- Citizens Advice — Save money using your electrical appliances
- Ofgem — Changes to the energy price cap, 1 July to 30 September 2026
Just so you know: this guide is information and journalism, not financial advice, and we don't recommend specific financial products. Your circumstances are your own — if you need personal advice, speak to a suitably qualified adviser. Information was correct at the "last updated" date above but things change; always check the linked primary sources.