Going Green: Save money and use less energy at home with simple top tips

Green Green campaigner and consumer expert, Angela Terry, separates climate change facts from fiction and here she explains how you can take simple, practical steps to help save the planet. Follow @ouronehome & visit https://onehome.org.uk/ for more advice.

Q: Do I really need to switch devices off at the wall or I can just use standby?

A: Yes switching off at the plug is better. And now’s definitely the time to be as efficient as possible with your electricity usage!

With inflation and the cost of living on the rise, it is important to monitor your energy usage.

After the energy regulator Ofgem’s recent announcement that the energy price cap will be updated every three months, instead of six, energy bills could double to more than eye-watering £4,200 by January.

We’re all going to feel the pinch and need to change our habits. This will help to save money and reduce costs from energy consumption.

Electricity powered by gas

The energy crisis is really a gas crisis, which has been made much worse by Putin’s invasion of Ukraine.

In addition, the tightening of the flow of Russian gas to Europe.

But it means electricity’s increasingly expensive too because most of the electricity that goes into the UK grid is made by burning gas.

Vampire devices

One really easy way to save money and cut your carbon footprint is to switch off the many common household devices that slowly drain power.

This can be done even when they’re not in use.

These so-called ‘vampire devices’ use a small amount of energy even when they’re just plugged in.

It’s not much but with energy prices sky high, it all adds up.

In fact, by switching them off when you’re not actively using them, you could save up to £147 per year on current energy prices.

This is according to research by British Gas.

Devices to switch off

Vampire devices include TVs on standby, games consoles, computers, printers, smart speakers, microwaves and modems.

It also pays to keep an eye on laptops and phones that are charging and unplug from the wall when the battery is full.

It’s a great idea to get everyone in the family to get into the habit of switching off the lights when leaving a room.

How to make it easy

If you have a smart meter, you can use its display to see how much energy is being used at different times.

You can also start switching off gadgets that are wasting electricity.

If you don’t have a smart meter, consider asking your energy supplier for one.

They are free and can help you measure your energy usage and work out how to make it more efficient.