OVER a dozen teatime mistakes are costing households up to £205 extra on their energy bills each year, according to new research.
Nearly every UK household (93%) admits to having at least one bad energy habit, Uswitch reports.
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This includes anything from overfilling the kettle to leaving lights on – but doing so could unnecessarily add hundreds of pounds more to our energy bills.
Two-thirds of households (66%) set their washing machine at more than 40 degrees celsius, potentially costing nearly £20 a year more than washing at 30 degrees celsius.
Almost half (48%) run it when it’s not full, adding another £8 to bills, according to the survey of 2,000 participants.
With washing machines costing households £32 a year on average in electricity, an extra weekly wash could add an extra £8 to annual bills.
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Running the dishwasher when it’s not full adds an average of almost £10 a year to energy bills – and not using the appliance’s eco mode could also increase costs by £20 a year.
Another costly habit is leaving the hot tap running while doing the washing up.
A running hot tap can waste 100 litres in just ten minutes, wasting 26p in energy costs.
Households that do this one a week could run up an additional £12 a year.
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Tea-making is an area where bad habits can quickly increase energy costs.
Three-fifths of households (61%) say they fill the kettle with more water than they need, potentially adding nearly £40 to the average £84-a-year cost of tea-making if they overfill by half every time.
Nearly 15 million households admit leaving the TV on when no one is watching, potentially adding £1.90 a year to bills, while half (52%) leave the lights on when no one is in the room, which could add £9 to annual bills.
Leaving devices on standby is the most common bad habit, with 72% of households saying they do this.
Ben Gallizzi, energy expert at Uswitch.com, said: “Most New Year Resolutions don’t last a long time, but getting into good energy habits could save you a significant amount of money over the year.
“We’ve all been guilty at times of leaving the lights on or overfilling the kettle, but it’s important to remember that these habits can all add hundreds of pounds a year to our bills.
“Bills are higher this winter than they were last year, but there are a lot of ways households can cut their energy use.
“Saving money might be as simple as using the eco mode on your white goods and making sure you only run them when full.”
How else can I cut my energy bills?
If you don’t have a smart meter and haven’t sent your supplier recent meter readings – it’s worth submitting one now.
An updated meter reading will mean your supplier has a more accurate idea of your usage to bill you accurately.
There are several cheap and easy ways to heat your home and reduce electricity costs.
Every degree you increase the temperature of your thermostat is estimated to hike your heating bill by about 10% – so get the balance right.
The Energy Saving Trust recommends that your thermostat should be set to the lowest comfortable temperature, which for most is between 18°C and 21°C.
You can also turn your boiler’s flow temperature down as well as any thermostatic radiator valves in some rooms – you could save around £180 annually on your energy bills.
A couple managed to cut £400 off their EDF Energy bill by turning off their immersion heater.
Topping up loft insulation and switching to a smart meter can bring a household a further £230 worth of annual savings, according to Nesta.
It is also important to ensure that when your boiler’s running, there’s no draught.
Ventilation is good for health and air quality but is the first place heat will escape.
If there’s a draught, grab a draught excluder and plug the gap.
You should also ensure your windows are closed before the sun sets.
Consider what rooms in your home need heating.
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You won’t be using each one 24/7, so make sure the heating is off in any rooms that aren’t occupied.
The best part about all these changes is that they won’t cost you a penny as they are free.
