12 money-saving eco tips

Try our dozen tips and tricks to save hundreds of pounds a year.

Save energy

From quick fixes to home improvements, there are plenty of ways to save energy and cash around the house (these figures are typical and will vary according to house size, number of occupants and the age of the house).

1. Insulate loft and walls

Insulating your loft can reduce your energy bill by around £200 a year. Cavity wall insulation saves you about £160 annually. Solid wall insulation (recommended for pre-1920 properties) gives you an annual saving of up to £380.

2. Use low-energy light bulbs

Fitting just one could save you £7 a year and they last up to 10 times longer than conventional bulbs. Buy energy-saving bulbs.

3. Lower your thermostat by just 1°C

This can knock £60 off your annual heating bill. Easy money! 

4. Upgrade your fridge

Get rid of a 10-year-old fridge and replace it with an Energy Saving Recommended one. You will save around £40 on electricity a year. Buy energy-efficient appliances at Tesco Direct.

5. Get a new boiler

Having a new, high-efficiency boiler fitted can lop, on average, £275 from the annual heating bill. Find out more in our green tips on home insulation.

6. Save electricity and cut your bill

Turning appliances off rather than using standby is an easy and green money saver – and we have loads more ways to cut your electricity bill.

Reduce your waste

All it takes is a little time and thought to cut your waste – and your outgoings…

7. Use real nappies

Go on, be brave! Ditching disposable nappies and using ‘traditional’ ones saves you £500 per child, according to some estimates.

8. Be frugal with food

The average home chucks away £420 of potentially edible food each year. But you could claw the cash back by buying only what you need, batch-cooking and freezing, following use-by dates and eating those leftovers. Why not grow your own and follow our tips on wasting less food.

9. Mend a dripping tap

Fix that leaky tap and you’ll pay almost £20 less a year for water if you’re on a meter. We’ve also got lots of tips on using less water in the garden.

10. Drive more efficiently

Switch off your engine in traffic, keep to speed limits and change gear at the right time to conserve fuel – it all makes sense. Greener driving saves £6 for every tank of petrol.

11. Join a car club

Selling your motor and using pool vehicles from a car club can save you £1,500 in the annual cost of driving your own. Find out more at www.carclubs.org.uk.

12. Save water in the bathroom 

Having a water-saving device in your cistern reduces the amount of water used in flushing and can take around £20 a year off metered water bills. Why not try Hippo the Water Saver?

You can also save water, and money, in the shower by installing an Eaga ShowerSmart device to your shower head. It can save the average family up to 12,000 litres of water a year.