Seven Pre-holiday Hacks for Lowering Your Energy Bill

With over 16 million vehicles set to hit the road* in the UK this May bank holiday, many of our homes are set to be empty over the long weekend.

Whilst a vacant home might make you assume you’ll see reduced electric, water, and heating bills, this isn’t always the case due to incorrect thermostat settings, standby appliances, and even inefficient security systems.

To help reduce these costs, David Johnson, Technical and Category Manager at The Underfloor Heating Store, shares his seven hacks to keep your energy costs low whilst you’re on holiday.

Triple-check your thermostat settings
“It’s always worth triple-checking the settings on your thermostat before you leave the house for a holiday. Setting up your thermostat incorrectly could mean you’ve still got your central heating system on a timer without even realising it. This is great for holidays over the winter period, as you’ll want to schedule your heating to come on occasionally to stop your pipes from freezing, but this isn’t necessary over the warmer spring and summer months. Before you go away for the weekend, I would recommend checking yourself and then having someone else double-check the thermostat. However, if you’re still unsure, turn each radiator off individually.”

Don’t leave TV on standby
“It might seem simpler to leave your TV plugged in for easy access when you return home, but appliances like this still use energy, even on stand-by mode. According to EcoCostSavings, keeping your TV on standby could add an extra £11 to your bill– so you’ll save money by completely unplugging it.“

“You can also save additional energy and costs by plugging it in as you go when you return home rather than all at once. If you’re not planning on watching TV the night you return, for example, leave it unplugged until the next time you sit down to watch something.”

Reduce the power of appliances that are set up for daily use
“As you will be away for some time, appliances like your boiler will not need to be set up as if it was used daily, so you should consider turning your boiler down as this will help reduce your energy bills.”

“As we approach the peak of summer, it is a good idea to turn your boiler completely off to save energy. However, this shouldn’t be done for a long period. This is because turning your boiler off for a long time could cause harm to the internal part of your boiler, which could cause it to seize up. In saying this, you should always consider how long you are going away before you make your decision on whether to just turn your boiler down or completely off.”

Choose energy-efficient security systems
“Security systems that include plug-in elements, such as cameras, contribute to energy consumption and higher bills whilst you’re away. If you’re considering investing in security and want to save on bills simultaneously, I recommend using either re-chargeable or battery-powered options. Just make sure you select strong batteries or long-lasting charge products to ensure they don’t fail whilst you’re enjoying your holiday.”

Consider switching off your fridge or freezer
“This might not be the first thing you think about doing when going away, but fridges and freezers use a lot of energy, and according to GreenMatch, an average refrigerator in the average household uses 165kWh per year, which totals around £46 in electricity costs.”

“If you are going on an extended break this bank holiday consider emptying your fridge/freezer and turning them off if you can, however, for those going on a shorter trip, adjust your thermostat on your fridge/freezer to a higher temperature– ideally -18°C for your freezer and 5°C for your fridge as this will help conserve energy and ensures your food still stays fresh.”

“If you don’t want to turn off your fridge or refrigerator but still want to conserve energy, I would recommend keeping these appliances full and tightly packed, as refrigerators/fridges use less energy when full as it has less air to keep cool.”

Swap your light bulbs for an energy-efficient option
“For security reasons, many Brits admit to leaving a light switched on to appear to be at home whilst abroad. If you’re planning to do this, you might find you have a higher electric bill than usual, as you’ll have a light on consistently as opposed to sporadically. To avoid higher costs, consider swapping your selected light bulb to an energy-efficient option, such as 20 – 17 watt bulbs.”

Turn off every individual heating system you have running in your home
“For those that have other sources of heating outside of central heating, such as underfloor heating or heat pumps, ensure every system is turned off individually. Not every heating system is connected to your central heating, so take the time to ensure that every element is switched off to avoid extra costs.”