How can I save energy?

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How can I save energy?

Part of our promise to you is to do all we can to help you save energy and money. We may not be able to do much to solve the problems of global warming, but we can all do our bit to save energy in our homes. There are lots of simple changes we can make to our everyday habits which will really help reduce our energy usage at home.

We have an Extra Care Team who are fully trained to offer you energy saving advice, discuss the energy efficiency of your home, and answer any questions you may have about monitoring your usage with our smart meters.

• Our Top Energy Saving Tips
  1. An energy saving light bulb uses 75 percent less energy than a regular bulb and it can last up to four years.
  2. A fridge freezer is one of the few items in your home that uses electricity 24 hours a day costing around £62 a year to run. You can make yours more efficient by defrosting it regularly and keeping it well stocked. Don’t panic, you don’t need to buy extra food to do this, ice trays are great for filling up gaps.
  3. You can save around £80 a year just by remembering to turn your appliances off standby mode
  4. Using a bowl to wash up rather than a running tap and save £30 a year in energy bills.
  5. Boiling an average 3kWh kettle for 10 minutes per day will cost around £27 per year. If you only boil as much water as you need, you will significantly reduce these costs. Which? Offer great advice on what energy-efficient kettles will save you the £££’s.
  6. Spending one minute less in the shower each day will save around £10 off your energy bills each year, per person.
  7. Having a room thermostat, programmer and thermostatic radiator valves installed could save you between £80 and £165 a year. Even turning down your room thermostat by just one degree can save between £85 and £90 a year.
  8. The most power-hungry of them all is the Plasma TV which guzzles 658 kWh per year, compared to LED TVs, which are more energy efficient. These cost the average household £98 per year in energy costs.
  9. Doing two loads of washing per week costs an average of £40 a year. Did you know that 90% of a washing machines power is used to heat the water? By reducing your wash from 40oC to 30oC can cut the energy used by 40%.
  10. Tumble dryers can cost between £70 - £100 a year depending on the size of your household. To avoid using it in the winter, simply hang your washing on a clothes horse and pop it near a radiator to make the most of your central heating.
  11. Cooking on an electric hob for just thirty minutes a day costs £90 a year. Using an electric oven for thirty minutes a day will set you back £82 a year. For a cheaper alternative, get yourself a microwave – when used for 10 minutes a day, this will only cost you just £3 per year!
  12. A fridge freezer costs around £62 a year to run. You can make yours more efficient by defrosting it regularly and keeping it well stocked.

  For more energy saving advice go to www.energysavingtrust.org.uk or LIKE & FOLLOW us on Facebook and Twitter.

Smart meters will always save you more money, than switching supplier alone

Utilita’s smart meters are a great way to save energy and money. Once you have had a smart meter installed, you will be able to use your in-home display to keep track of your energy usage in real-time and how much you're spending. You can also view your daily, weekly and monthly usage and it will tell you how long your balance should last you based on your recent usage, making it much easier to budget. To see how you can access usage information you can see your User Guide provided to you on installation.

What if I think I'm using too much energy?

If you are concerned with the amount of energy you are using just contact us on 03303 337 456 or 0800 883 8007 and speak to our Extra Care Team, who are dedicated to dealing with any queries you may have.

Typically we will read into your meter remotely to view the usage it is recording and discuss this with you over the phone. Taking into consideration the time of year and evaluating the use of appliances and heating systems in your home gives a good indication of where you could be wasting energy. It is often the case that a few simple suggestions can make a noticeable difference to your spending. In 95% of cases customers are found to be consuming the expected amount of energy for their home. In the unlikely event, that after we have looked in to your meter usage, we establish there is potentially a fault with your meter, only then would we send an engineer to inspect it.* It is not common for high energy usage to be caused by a fault with the meter.

*Please be aware, if after remotely checking your meter we believe it is functioning correctly, a request to send an engineer may not be granted or result in a callout charge should no fault be found.