Energy Price Cap 80% Rise: 10 hacks to help cut energy costs by hundreds in your home

Brits are contending with soaring inflation and Ofgem’s new energy price cap being raised by 80% to £3,549, pushing the nation to take matters into their own hands – fortunately, there are expert-recommended strategies that can help.

By Thomas Mackay

Published 26th Aug 2022, 13:30 BST

Households are preparing to tackle the new energy price cap that is expected to have a significant impact on bills.

While this news is understandably worrying, there are still plenty of measures that families can take to limit their energy consumption and save money.

For example, cash-strapped households can save hundreds of pounds this winter by just tweaking their boiler settings, all without a major loss in temperature, say experts.

For more targeted advice try Home Energy Scotland, a network of local advice centres which offers free and impartial energy saving advice, actively working to help reduce your bill costs.

Here are 10 expert-recommended ‘hacks’ for lowering power consumption and cutting costs amidst energy prices rising:

The demand for gas doubles during winter as homes need the extra heating. Approximately, 20% of this gas is used for hot water and cooking while the remainder is used for heating households. The International Energy Agency commented that by turning thermostats down by a degree it could save ‘Europeans’ significant amounts of gas (an estimated consumption saving of 7%.)

1. Turn down the thermostat by 1 degree e.g., from 20°C to 19°C

The demand for gas doubles during winter as homes need the extra heating. Approximately, 20% of this gas is used for hot water and cooking while the remainder is used for heating households. The International Energy Agency commented that by turning thermostats down by a degree it could save ‘Europeans’ significant amounts of gas (an estimated consumption saving of 7%.) Photo: Maxiphoto (Getty Images Signature)

Wearing warm clothing lowers the amount of heat that people adjust the thermostat to, to as much as 2°C, researchers suggest. However, research on this is limited and the government may be reluctant to issue such advice as they could receive backlash similar to that which energy companies experienced in 2021. Regardless, most argue that quality winter clothing is essential during the season as a matter of health.

2. Wear thicker/thermal clothing at home

Wearing warm clothing lowers the amount of heat that people adjust the thermostat to, to as much as 2°C, researchers suggest. However, research on this is limited and the government may be reluctant to issue such advice as they could receive backlash similar to that which energy companies experienced in 2021. Regardless, most argue that quality winter clothing is essential during the season as a matter of health. Photo: Pavel Danilyuk (Pexels)

By purchasing a ‘water-efficient’ shower head you can reduce water consumption and therefore gas consumption. Shower heads designed to save water can lower water consumption by 40% and, if heating water accounts for roughly 20% of household gas consumption, this is a significant saving. It is estimated you can lower gas consumption by 4% via this method.

3. Install a water-saving shower head

By purchasing a ‘water-efficient’ shower head you can reduce water consumption and therefore gas consumption. Shower heads designed to save water can lower water consumption by 40% and, if heating water accounts for roughly 20% of household gas consumption, this is a significant saving. It is estimated you can lower gas consumption by 4% via this method. Photo: ben-bryant (Getty Images)

Researchers from Bernstein estimate in most households there is typically at least one room unoccupied at any given time. Therefore, energy consumers must be deliberate with which rooms they occupy and use the radiators according to this, cutting off those rooms which are not in use. This could lead to a 3% reduction in gas consumption.

4. Turn off the heating in unoccupied/unused rooms

Researchers from Bernstein estimate in most households there is typically at least one room unoccupied at any given time. Therefore, energy consumers must be deliberate with which rooms they occupy and use the radiators according to this, cutting off those rooms which are not in use. This could lead to a 3% reduction in gas consumption. Photo: Curtis Adams (Pexels)

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