Five free things you can do to save energy

1. Wash clothes at 30 degrees

A 30 degree wash will use about 40% less energy than the same wash at 40 degrees. Most modern detergents work just as well at lower temperatures. This means your clothes will come out just as clean after a low temperature wash.

All you need to do is turn the temperature on your machine down to 30 degrees or use the eco setting.

2. Spend one minute less in the shower

Cutting your shower time by a single minute saves both energy and water.

A shower-timer can help you keep track of how long you’ve been washing for, or you can simply set an alarm on your phone.

If you have a bath instead of a shower, then you can save money by only filling the bath with as much water as you need.

3. Only boil the water you need in your kettle

If you fancy a cup of tea and are only making one for yourself, don’t overfill your kettle with more water than you need.

Overfilling the kettle means using extra energy to boil the water inside.

4. Turns things off at the wall

Lots of appliances are left on for longer than they’re needed. If you’re not using something, turning it off will save you energy.

It’s also worth remembering that something is only really “off” when it’s turned off at the wall. Any appliance left on standby will still use energy.

5. Match your pans to your hob

If you’re using a small pan, make sure you’re also using a smaller hob ring.

Heating a small pan on a large ring means a lot of the heat gets lost to the surroundings. Using a small pan on a small ring makes sure that most of the heat is transferred to the pan.