How to Keep Energy Costs Down and Do Better For The Environment at Home

*This is a collaborative post.

With the cost of living on the rise and the weather still cold (spring feels like a long way off yet!)  it’s important to find ways to stay warm and save money on heating bills. Luckily, there are plenty of simple and cost effective ways to keep your home cozy without breaking the bank, and making a few small changes to how you heat up and use your home can reduce your bills while also cutting down on any unnecessary energy use. Alternatively if you’re looking to make some bigger home upgrades this year, there’s lots you can do that will save you money in the long run and also make your home more environmentally friendly too. Here’s how you can go about it.

Cozy ways to heat a room

If you’re only using a few rooms in your home and want to bring down your costs, it can be worth considering using space heaters instead of heating the entire house. This can save you a lot of money on heating bills, especially if you’re only in one or two rooms for most of the day. Heating just the rooms you’re actually using can be cheaper than warming the whole house all day, especially if your home is on the bigger side or isnt well insulated. Just make sure to use the space heaters safely and follow the manufacturer’s instructions as certain types are known to be a fire hazard.

Instead of heating your whole home, an electric blanket or an electric warmed dressing gown or a foot warmer to prevent cold feet can all keep you at a comfortable temperature without cranking the heat up. Keeping your feet warm can make your whole body feel more comfortable, even in a cooler room so try foot warmers too, these can be added to your bed. 

Soft furnishings

Another way to keep your home cozy and save money on heating bills is by investing in good curtains. While curtains aren’t exactly cheap, they’re not expensive like full renovations either so a good middle ground if you have a little bit of money to spend and want to bring down your bills in the longer term. Using your curtains properly can help trap warmth overnight and make the most of free heat from the sun during the day. Plus, curtains can add a cozy and stylish touch to any room.

Heavier-lined curtains can also make rooms feel warmer and more comfortable during colder months because drafty windows and doors can let in cold air, making your home feel chilly and forcing your heating system to work harder than it needs to. Cold air sneaking in through gaps around doors and windows makes rooms feel colder and puts extra strain on your heating as well. To combat this, take some time to seal up any drafts you find.

There are loads of simple fixes you can try that cost hardly anything and dont need any DIY knowledge, like door snakes, seal strips or even just filling in small gaps with caulk can really make a noticeable difference to how warm your oom feels. If you have hardwood or tile floors, they you’ll know how they feel especially chilly during the colder months so to combat this, invest in some cozy rugs. They’re a great way to add a pop of color and personality to any room. Rugs also soften the feel of a space, which can make a room seem warmer even without changing the temperature. This can be much more pleasant underfoot especially if you’ve already had to crank down the thermostat a few degrees.

Smart Home Tech

Smart home tech is one of the best improvements you can make if you want to save money right now as they integrate really nicely with lots of appliances. The great thing about smart tech is that it can offer you a lot of convenience. Being able to control heating and lighting remotely can help prevent wasted energy. You could choose to buy a smart thermostat, which can help you to save on your heating or cooling, or you can opt for smart lighting. The best thing about smart lighting is that the lights remain off when nobody is in the room. This can reduce how much electricity is used across the home without much effort. 

Invest in solar panels

Solar panels give you tons of benefits as a homeowner. Once they’ve been installed, the energy they produce reduces how much electricity you need to buy, so in the longer term, they’re such a good way to bring your bills down, you’re not at the mercy of big price fluctuations from the grid. And we all know how much electricity prices have gone up in the past few years. Every time there’s a global issue (like Covid, recessions and things like Ukraine/ Russia conflict, Trump tariffs and more), it always has a knock-on effect on things like energy prices.

If you invest in some solar panels, then you can cut down on your energy bills more than you realize. Generating your own power can reduce your monthly energy costs over time, and you can even store it these days too, using things like Enphase battery storage. Solar is also a renewable source of energy, which means you will keep getting it, as long as there is sunlight. There may be incentives available depending on where you live. If you want to buy some solar panels, then the best thing you can do is contact some solar companies, as they can help to give you the support you are looking for with your investment.

Tankless water heater

Finally, A tankless water heater is great if you want to reduce your energy bills. The main reason for this is that your water will be heated on demand. Heating water only when you need it can reduce wasted energy. When you have a tank heater, your water will be hot throughout the day. Less energy consumption means you’ll be using less fossil fuels, which will reduce emissions. Lower energy use also means lower ongoing costs so if you consume less energy then you can save money (and you can also do your bit for the environment!)