Energy Efficiency - Tips 

To help you get the best value out of your home and make cost effective decisions about your energy usage, we have put together some top tips for saving energy, below.

We recommend to all our residents that you consider applying the following principles to your home.

• Turning your thermostat down by 1ºC could cut your heating bills by up to 10 per cent and save you around £30 per year.
• Is your water too hot? Your cylinder thermostat shouldn't need to be set higher than 60ºC/140ºF.
• Close your curtains at dusk to stop heat escaping through the windows.
• Always turn off the lights when you leave a room.
• Don't leave appliances on standby and remember not to leave appliances on charge unnecessarily.
• If you're not filling up the washing machine, tumble dryer or dishwasher, use the half-load or economy programme.
• Only boil as much water as you need (but remember to cover the elements if you're using an electric kettle).
• A dripping hot water tap wastes energy and in one week wastes enough hot water to fill half a bath, so fix leaking taps and make sure they're fully turned off!
• Replace your light bulbs with energy saving recommended ones: just one can reduce your lighting costs by up to £78 over the lifetime of the bulb - and they last up to 12 times longer than ordinary light bulbs.