How to reduce your energy bills without sitting in the cold
Practical steps that actually move the needle on your bill. No smart home gadgets required. Just the things that work.
The biggest single saving for most households is switching to a cheaper energy tariff, which can cut hundreds off your annual bill. After that, turning your thermostat down by one degree saves around 10 percent on heating costs. Everything else on this page stacks on top of those two.
12 ways to cut your energy bill in 2026
Compare and switch your energy tariff
If you are on a standard variable tariff, you are almost certainly paying more than you need to. The gap between the cheapest fixed deals and the default rate can run to hundreds of pounds per year. Comparing takes around five minutes. See our energy tariff comparison to see what is available right now.
Potential saving: £150 to £400 per yearTurn your thermostat down by one degree
One degree sounds trivial. It is not. Dropping your thermostat from 21 to 20 degrees cuts your heating bill by roughly 10 percent. The Energy Saving Trust recommends keeping your home between 18 and 21 degrees. Most households have their heating set higher than they actually need it.
Potential saving: £80 to £115 per yearCheck where your thermostat is positioned
A thermostat near a radiator, in direct sunlight, or next to a draughty door reads the wrong temperature and tells your boiler to work harder than necessary. Move it to a central internal wall, away from heat sources and draughts, and your heating will cycle more accurately.
Potential saving: £50 to £100 per yearUse your boiler timer properly
Set your boiler to come on 30 minutes before you need heat rather than leaving it on all day. A well-insulated home holds heat for several hours. Turning off the heating 30 minutes before you go to bed or leave the house costs nothing in comfort and cuts unnecessary boiler runtime.
Potential saving: £70 to £130 per yearSwitch every bulb to LED
LED bulbs use around 75 to 80 percent less electricity than old incandescent bulbs and last up to 25 times longer. A full house replacement typically costs under £30 and pays for itself within a few months.
Potential saving: £40 to £65 per yearStop leaving appliances on standby
The average UK household wastes around £55 per year leaving devices on standby. Televisions, games consoles, phone chargers, and set-top boxes are the worst offenders. Switching them off at the plug takes two seconds. A standby saver plug strip makes it easier to do all at once.
Potential saving: £40 to £70 per yearWash clothes at 30 degrees
Washing at 30 degrees rather than 40 uses around 40 percent less energy per cycle. Modern detergents are designed to work at lower temperatures. For a family doing four or five washes a week, this adds up considerably over a year.
Potential saving: £25 to £45 per yearOnly boil what you need
Overfilling the kettle every time you make a cup of tea wastes a surprising amount of electricity over a year. Fill it only to what you need and you cut the energy used for boiling by roughly half. Simple, and it adds up.
Potential saving: £15 to £25 per yearTurn your hot water cylinder down to 60 degrees
If you have a hot water cylinder, check its thermostat. Many are set too high. 60 degrees is the recommended temperature. Hot enough to eliminate legionella risk, but not so high that you are wasting energy heating water you then dilute with cold before you can use it.
Potential saving: £30 to £60 per yearBlock draughts around doors and windows
Draught-proofing is one of the cheapest home improvements you can make. Self-adhesive foam strips for windows and door excluders cost a few pounds. Letterboxes, keyholes, and gaps around pipes are also worth sealing.
Potential saving: £25 to £50 per yearGet a smart meter installed
A smart meter sends readings automatically to your supplier, so you are billed accurately rather than on estimates. The in-home display shows usage in real time, which tends to change behaviour. Studies show households with smart meters reduce consumption by around three to five percent just from greater awareness. Smart meters are free to install.
No cost to installCheck if you qualify for help with your energy bills
Households on certain benefits may qualify for the Warm Home Discount, which gives £150 off your electricity bill. Pensioners may be eligible for the Winter Fuel Payment. Some suppliers also offer an energy social tariff at a reduced rate. See our help with energy bills guide for the full list of schemes.
Warm Home Discount: £150 off your electricity billThe fastest saving: compare your tariff now
If you have not compared energy tariffs in the last 12 months, there is a good chance you are overpaying. Takes five minutes.
Why is my energy bill so high?
The most common reason UK households overpay on energy is being stuck on a standard variable tariff. When a fixed deal ends and you do nothing, most suppliers move you onto their SVT, which is typically their most expensive option. Ofcom rules mean suppliers must accept you on this tariff, but they have no obligation to make it competitive.
Beyond the tariff, the next biggest drivers of a high bill are heating costs (around 55 percent of a typical UK energy bill), old appliances running inefficiently, and poor insulation letting heat escape. A draughty house with an ageing boiler and a high SVT is the worst-case scenario. Most of the fixes on this page are straightforward and low cost.
Estimated meter readings are also worth checking. If your supplier has been estimating your usage and the estimate is too high, you may be paying for energy you did not use. A smart meter eliminates this entirely by sending readings automatically.
Questions people ask
Switching to a cheaper energy tariff is the single biggest lever most households have. Comparing takes around five minutes and can save hundreds per year. After that, turning your thermostat down by one degree cuts your heating bill by around 10 percent.
The most common reasons are being on a standard variable tariff, an old boiler, poor insulation, appliances on standby, and estimated meter readings pushing bills up. Comparing tariffs and getting an actual meter reading are the first two things to check.
Households switching from a standard variable tariff to a competitive fixed deal regularly save between £150 and £400 per year. The exact saving depends on your current tariff and usage.
Yes. Reducing your thermostat by one degree cuts your heating bill by around 10 percent. The Energy Saving Trust recommends setting it between 18 and 21 degrees. Thermostat placement matters too, keep it away from draughts, sunlight, and radiators for accurate readings.
Heating and hot water accounts for around 55 percent of a typical UK energy bill. After that, wet appliances such as washing machines and tumble dryers are the biggest users, followed by cold appliances, consumer electronics, and lighting. Tackling heating first gives the biggest return.
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