How To Save Energy in your home

There are many things that you could be doing in your home to save energy. As part of SAVES 2, we are running the Student Switch Off+ campaign, through which students across Europe will be informed on what they can do to save energy in their private homes, be more conscious of the homes they are choosing (in relation to energy efficiency) and become more aware of smart meters (and how these can help drive their energy usage). The advise is country specific, and more information can be found on country specific Student Switch Off pages. Below are some generic things, to get you thinking!

• Switch supplier or tariff - if you pay the energy bill directly yourself, you should have the right to switch supplier or tariff. For example, in the UK, switching can save a typical household £200 a year so check out the price comparison websites to find the best deal for you.
• Get a smart meter – if you pay the energy bill directly yourself, in some countries (such as the UK) you can request a smart meter from your energy provider at no additional cost. These provide real-time information on how much you are using and spending to make it easy to identify energy wastage. Check out our advice video here.
• Take meter readings – it’s really important to keep track of your energy usage in order avoid nasty shocks, so we encourage you to locate your electricity and gas meters and to take meter readings (take a photo of the readings on the meters). This will be useful if you think your energy provider may have charged you too much later in the year.
• Buy energy efficient appliances – the majority of electrical appliances such as light bulbs will have an energy efficiency label which ranges from A+++ to D – obviously the D-rating is the worst! The better the rating, the less the appliances will cost to use.
• Don’t leave heating/lights/appliances left on unnecessarily – the simple actions you take will save you money on your bills, and reduce your impact on climate change too!
• Choose a home with a high Energy Performance Certificate (EPC) rating - in most countries taking part in SAVES 2, there is a legal obligation for a landlord to give you your home's EPC upon request. The ratings start at 'A' - with A being the most energy efficient property, progressively getting worse as you move from A - G

Check out the video below that summarises all these points: