For the majority of us, saving money can be tough: every month a huge chunk of our earnings flies out of our bank account in the direction of big corporations in the name of our daily necessities, such as broadband, mobile phone, landline and most importantly our gas and electricity.

Having energy in our homes is what keeps us warm, cooks our food, entertains us and everything in between when we are at home. But, why are these bills so expensive? Energy bills rise and fall (but let’s face it, mostly rise) constantly. This is due to a number of factors, including wholesale prices, generation efficiency, time of the year and many other reasons. That, however, does not mean that you have to follow the price curve every step of the way; that is what fixed tariffs were made for! This, and a whole bunch of other methods can help reduce your energy bills, and here are 4 of them.

Some of these methods may require you to reach out for professional help as it is usually not safe to handle the electric systems of your home by yourself. Consider taking the help of some popular residential electrical services near your area who might be able to provide ample guidance regarding any upgrades or changes you would want to make to your home’s electric components.

Improve your insulation

When it comes to improving the energy efficiency of your home, removing the need to constantly control room temperature is one of the first ports of call. Preventing hot and cold air from leaving your home, depending on what your aim is, allows you to keep your rooms at a desirable temperature without the constant backup of your heating and cooling appliances. There are many options for improving your insulation efficiency, some of which are much more expensive than others, so be sure to prioritise the areas in which you would like to see improvements. However, if someone qualifies for free insulation grants. They can access government-backed insulation grants which they won’t have to pay back.It is worth noting the following percentages of where heat leaves your home:

25% – Windows & doors

25% – Roof

35% – Walls

15% – Floor

Most people head straight to the roof when they think about improving their home’s insulation, but there are much more economical ways to keep your heat trapped, especially in your flooring. Even so much as a small, fluffy rug can help your room massively, so perhaps think twice about spending hundreds and thousands of pounds on roofing insulation if you are on a budget.

Switch your energy provider

For your home to be truly energy efficient, you need to make sure that the money leaving it is efficiently spent. It is no longer the case that one tariff suits all, and despite all gas and electricity supplies technically being exactly the same, we all pay a different price depending on what tariff we use. Assuming an average national consumption , there can be anything up to 500 difference per year between your current tariff and the cheapest on the market.

Switching to a cheaper tariff has never been easier, with a number of switching options available, the most popular of which being comparison engines. Here you should enter your postcode, your average usage (which you can find on your bill) and a little information about your billing type and meters, all of which is easily accessible. This will bring up all the cheapest tariffs that are available to you in an easy to understand manner. One of the most important parts here is your postcode, as prices vary quite vastly depending on where you live in the country. This is due to a number of factors, including distribution network charges and other geographically related static costs. This means, for example, that prices in yorkshire can often be much cheaper than those in merseyside.

Get a Smart Meter

Getting a smart meter allows you to see how much you are really spending on your energy in real time, in pounds and pence. This can help you realise at what times you are spending the most on your energy and at what times you are barely using any. Energy efficiency is not just about saving money and using less energy, but also about feeling comfortable in your own home. Many people are afraid to turn on their heating in the winter or put their washing machine on, purely because they are scared of what the bill might reveal at the end of the month. With a smart meter, anxieties about overspending on your energy will disappear, meaning you are safe in the knowledge that you’re within your budget. So, if you haven’t yet installed a smart meter in your home, now might be the perfect time to search on the internet for an “electrician near me” and hire a reliable professional to handle the installation. They will replace your traditional meter with a new smart one. Unlike traditional meters that often rely on estimated readings, smart meters provide precise measurements of energy consumption. This accuracy could reduce billing disputes, ultimately saving you money by preventing unnecessary charges.

Furthermore, the UK is undergoing a national rollout of smart meters, hoping that everyone in Great Britain will have a smart meter in their home by 2020. They are free from all energy providers, so give yours a call today or request a fitting online.

Switch your lightbulbs to LED

A staggering amount of both household and commercial energy consumption in the UK is made up of lighting. We are naturally going to need lighting, especially in the winter and during the evening; however, the amount of electricity used in making this so definitely does not need to be that high. Especially in older homes, people are still using older style light bulbs, such as incandescent filament style bulbs, which use an enormous amount of electricity in comparison to the technology that we have today. Now, instead of the filament that is apparent in older light bulbs, we use light emitting diodes (LED), which use up to 90% less electricity, thus drastically decreasing your electricity bill.