How can I reduce my energy bill?

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There are a number of ways as residents of the Royal Borough of Windsor and Maidenhead you can reduce your household energy usage in most situations. These range from government financial support to methods of reducing your energy usage and therefore your bill. Further down this page we also dispel some energy myths.

Emergency support

If you are struggling to pay your energy or think you may get into difficulty, please contact your energy supplier. Ofgem ensure that energy suppliers must offer payment plans the household can afford. Residents who use a prepay meter and are struggling to top-up can also ask their energy supplier for 'emergency credit'.

Government Schemes

There are a number of government schemes which support free or subsidised energy-saving measures. These aim to help vulnerable people and encourage energy efficiency in our homes. Some schemes are provided directly through your supplier.

  • Sustainable Warmth - a government grant scheme where residents at risk of fuel poverty could be eligible to have free energy efficiency measures installed. The installation of these measures will ensure the property is future-proof and support the resident in saving on energy bills.

It is worth checking whether you qualify for the below schemes:

  • Winter Fuel Payment – a fuel payment for people born on or before 25 September 1956.
  • Cold Weather Payment – a payment for every 7 days of very cold weather between November and March.
  • Warm Home Discount – a discount for some people getting Pension Credit or some people in low-income household.

Energy Bills Support Scheme

You do not need to apply for the discount, and there’s no need to contact your energy supplier.

The Governments Energy Bills Support Scheme ensures a £400 non-repayable discount to all households with a domestic electricity connection in England, Scotland and Wales are eligible for the discount.

Further funding will be available to provide equivalent support of £400 for energy bills for the 1% of households who are not eligible for the discount. This includes households without a domestic electricity meter and a direct relationship with an electricity supplier, for example if you live in a park home, houseboat or you live off the grid.

The discount will be applied to your monthly household electricity bill for 6 months starting in October 2022. You’ll get:

  • £66 in both October and November
  • £67 in December, in January, in February and in March

Grants from energy suppliers

Citizens Advice lists grants some larger suppliers offer.

How can I reduce my energy usage?

Here are some tips to consider when trying to reduce your energy usage.

Kitchen

  • If using a dishwasher, ensure it is a full load before starting the cycle. One full load uses less energy than two half loads.
  • Only boil the quantity of water you need. You can fill a mug of water up and pour into the kettle as a simple method of measurement.
  • Boil water in the kettle rather than on the stove.
  • Don’t leave appliances on standby or laptops and mobile phones on charge unnecessarily.
  • If you have a gas stove use a moderate flame rather than a high flame.
  • Switch your oven off early as most dishes will continue to cook for a little while the temperature cools down.
  • Defrost your fridge and freezer. This keeps the ice build-up under control and therefore ensures it is efficient.
  • As a rule of thumb ovens can be expensive to run when compared to a microwave or hob. However, this depends on the quantity of items to be cooked. For example, to cook one jacket potato in the average microwave would be cheaper than cooking it in the oven. However, if you were to cook five jacket potatoes, it would be cheaper to use the oven instead.

Bathroom

  • Turn taps off properly. In a single week, a dripping hot tap can waste enough hot water to fill half a bath.
  • Change your shower head to a low-flow shower head as this will use less water.
  • Shorten your shower time, this is likely to make a significant difference, especially if you have a power shower.
  • Unplug your toothbrush charger and only plug in when required.
  • You could air-dry your hair some days rather than using a hair dryer.
  • An extractor fan with a timer added could reduce the energy used.

Utility

  • Use a timer on your central heating system. Set the heating and hot water to come on only when required and when in use do not use the maximum output flow.
  • If you have a hot water tank, set the cylinder thermostat to 60oC (140oF).
  • Try not to use a tumble dryer and dry your clothes outside during nice weather. If drying clothes inside is necessary, then try to open a window to air them out and when you will not be affected by the cold or wasting heating energy. You may find some low-cost tumble dryer alternatives by searching online, such as a heated clothes horse.
  • If you do need to use a tumble dryer you could put eco-balls inside and these will spread the clothes in the tumble dryer so they dry quicker.
  • Use the economy setting on the washing machine.

Lounge

  • Move your furniture to ensure it is not blocking a radiator or heat source.
  • Close the curtains at night so you keep the heat in. You can also check for draughts when doing this. A community initiative called Draughtbusters is available for borough residents for free.
  • Install foil panels behind your radiators. This will help to bounce infra-red heat rays back into your room so less warmth gets lost through the wall.
  • Always turn off the light when you leave a room.
  • Use energy-saving light bulbs.

I need more support

The Here to Help campaign on the council's website has further information and support for RBWM residents.

Ofgem have a webpage with links to non-government support.

Energy Myths

Do you put clingfilm on your windows? Many of us would have heard of energy myths which you can set straight by following this link to the Money Savings Expert.

There are a number of ways as residents of the Royal Borough of Windsor and Maidenhead you can reduce your household energy usage in most situations. These range from government financial support to methods of reducing your energy usage and therefore your bill. Further down this page we also dispel some energy myths.

Emergency support

If you are struggling to pay your energy or think you may get into difficulty, please contact your energy supplier. Ofgem ensure that energy suppliers must offer payment plans the household can afford. Residents who use a prepay meter and are struggling to top-up can also ask their energy supplier for 'emergency credit'.

Government Schemes

There are a number of government schemes which support free or subsidised energy-saving measures. These aim to help vulnerable people and encourage energy efficiency in our homes. Some schemes are provided directly through your supplier.

  • Sustainable Warmth - a government grant scheme where residents at risk of fuel poverty could be eligible to have free energy efficiency measures installed. The installation of these measures will ensure the property is future-proof and support the resident in saving on energy bills.

It is worth checking whether you qualify for the below schemes:

  • Winter Fuel Payment – a fuel payment for people born on or before 25 September 1956.
  • Cold Weather Payment – a payment for every 7 days of very cold weather between November and March.
  • Warm Home Discount – a discount for some people getting Pension Credit or some people in low-income household.

Energy Bills Support Scheme

You do not need to apply for the discount, and there’s no need to contact your energy supplier.

The Governments Energy Bills Support Scheme ensures a £400 non-repayable discount to all households with a domestic electricity connection in England, Scotland and Wales are eligible for the discount.

Further funding will be available to provide equivalent support of £400 for energy bills for the 1% of households who are not eligible for the discount. This includes households without a domestic electricity meter and a direct relationship with an electricity supplier, for example if you live in a park home, houseboat or you live off the grid.

The discount will be applied to your monthly household electricity bill for 6 months starting in October 2022. You’ll get:

  • £66 in both October and November
  • £67 in December, in January, in February and in March

Grants from energy suppliers

Citizens Advice lists grants some larger suppliers offer.

How can I reduce my energy usage?

Here are some tips to consider when trying to reduce your energy usage.

Kitchen

  • If using a dishwasher, ensure it is a full load before starting the cycle. One full load uses less energy than two half loads.
  • Only boil the quantity of water you need. You can fill a mug of water up and pour into the kettle as a simple method of measurement.
  • Boil water in the kettle rather than on the stove.
  • Don’t leave appliances on standby or laptops and mobile phones on charge unnecessarily.
  • If you have a gas stove use a moderate flame rather than a high flame.
  • Switch your oven off early as most dishes will continue to cook for a little while the temperature cools down.
  • Defrost your fridge and freezer. This keeps the ice build-up under control and therefore ensures it is efficient.
  • As a rule of thumb ovens can be expensive to run when compared to a microwave or hob. However, this depends on the quantity of items to be cooked. For example, to cook one jacket potato in the average microwave would be cheaper than cooking it in the oven. However, if you were to cook five jacket potatoes, it would be cheaper to use the oven instead.

Bathroom

  • Turn taps off properly. In a single week, a dripping hot tap can waste enough hot water to fill half a bath.
  • Change your shower head to a low-flow shower head as this will use less water.
  • Shorten your shower time, this is likely to make a significant difference, especially if you have a power shower.
  • Unplug your toothbrush charger and only plug in when required.
  • You could air-dry your hair some days rather than using a hair dryer.
  • An extractor fan with a timer added could reduce the energy used.

Utility

  • Use a timer on your central heating system. Set the heating and hot water to come on only when required and when in use do not use the maximum output flow.
  • If you have a hot water tank, set the cylinder thermostat to 60oC (140oF).
  • Try not to use a tumble dryer and dry your clothes outside during nice weather. If drying clothes inside is necessary, then try to open a window to air them out and when you will not be affected by the cold or wasting heating energy. You may find some low-cost tumble dryer alternatives by searching online, such as a heated clothes horse.
  • If you do need to use a tumble dryer you could put eco-balls inside and these will spread the clothes in the tumble dryer so they dry quicker.
  • Use the economy setting on the washing machine.

Lounge

  • Move your furniture to ensure it is not blocking a radiator or heat source.
  • Close the curtains at night so you keep the heat in. You can also check for draughts when doing this. A community initiative called Draughtbusters is available for borough residents for free.
  • Install foil panels behind your radiators. This will help to bounce infra-red heat rays back into your room so less warmth gets lost through the wall.
  • Always turn off the light when you leave a room.
  • Use energy-saving light bulbs.

I need more support

The Here to Help campaign on the council's website has further information and support for RBWM residents.

Ofgem have a webpage with links to non-government support.

Energy Myths

Do you put clingfilm on your windows? Many of us would have heard of energy myths which you can set straight by following this link to the Money Savings Expert.

Page last updated: 26 Oct 2022, 03:41 PM