We’re all watching our energy use this winter. But there are energy mis-steps that could be costing us dear
Energy bills are still a big worry for many of us in 2025, with the average UK household now paying £1,738 a year for gas and electricity under the current price cap.
The good news? A few small changes to how we use energy at home can add up to big savings. Here are five common mis-steps that might be costing you more than we realise—and how to fix them.
- Having a fridge that’s jam packed OR under-filled. We should aim for a fridge that’s about two-thirds full. If it’s too full the fridge has to work harder to get cool air into all the corners. But fridges also work better when there’s a good amount of stuff in there. If we tend not to have much in our fridge, just keeping some bottles of water in there will do the trick. Defrosting frozen food in the fridge rather than out in the kitchen can also cut energy use by acting as an ice pack and helping the fridge stay cool. The food will just take a bit longer to defrost.
- Not defrosting our freezer. Lots of ice build-up stops the freezer working efficiently. So clear it of ice as often as needed. A rule of thumb for freezer upkeep is to defrost our freezers every 6-12 months.
- Hanging clothes on radiators to dry. It might feel like we’ll dry our laundry much quicker this way, but we’ll pay for it. Doing this will only make our boiler work harder to keep our home to temperature.
- Always keeping the wall socket on. Appliances still eat up electricity even if we aren’t using them. This is known as “standby power” and could be costing us up to £120 a year! Going that extra step to turn off our wall sockets, especially for larger appliances, is a must.
- Washing clothes at 40 degrees. Of course, sometimes a cooler wash isn’t going to cut it. But if we use a 40-degree cycle as our default we’re pouring money down the drain. Lightly soiled clothes come out just fine at 30 degrees (or even lower if we have a 20-degree setting). And a 30-degree wash can save 38 per cent on energy costs compared with a 40-degree cycle. Washing at 20 degrees uses 62 per cent less energy than a 40-degree wash. When we want to kill bacteria though, for example if we’re washing sheets or towels, a 60-degree wash is still best. Just a lot more expensive!
There are lots more tips on energy savings on the Quids in! website.
Image: Monkey Business Images / Pexels
