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Energy bills are rising at an alarming rate. Sadly, there’s no way for any of us to escape this. At All Things Money, we know you will have tried all the obvious ways to save money on your energy bills.
We’re big fans of out of the box ways to save money. So, we’ve compiled a list of five money saving tips you may not have previously considered.
Cooking is a very energy intensive activity. However, we all need to eat, so it’s not one you can avoid.
There are ways to lower your energy-related cooking costs.
Using a slow cooker may help you save some money. Although they’re on for longer, they use significantly less energy than a traditional oven or hob.
Air fryers can also be more energy efficient than traditional cooking methods. An unscientific study carried out by The Mirror found it cost just 20p to cook cauliflower wings in an airfryer compared with 42p to cook them in an oven.
Another way to save energy while cooking is to batch cook. Try cooking a larger amount at once and splitting it into portions to last you for a few days or even a week.
As a bonus, this will help reduce the temptation to opt for a midweek takeaway or ready meal after a stressful day at work. This will save you even more money!
Energy companies often operate different tariffs. This means using electricity will cost you less at certain times of day (or night).
It is typically cheaper to use electricity when less people are using it. Electricity can cost up to 50% less late at night and very early in the mornings.
You might not necessarily be awake during these periods which could make it harder to take advantage of lower tariffs. However, you can look at whether your dishwasher, washing machine and other energy-intensive appliances have a timer on them or if you can install one. This way you can set them to go on during the cheaper periods without sacrificing any sleep.
Check with your energy company to find out the exact details of the tariffs it offers.
Make use of available facilities
This way to save money on your energy bills may not always be possible, but if it is, it can be a good way to save some cash.
Make use of the facilities you have available to you outside your home. For example, could you charge your phone and laptop in the office?
If you have a gym membership, perhaps you could use their showers a few times a week.
Local libraries are also a very valuable, but an underused resource. You can sign up online for free and access a range of services. They’re more than just places to borrow books – although that can save book lovers a lot of money in itself!
Most libraries will offer a certain amount of internet access for free a day. You can work from them, relax in them and also attend workshops and talks. A library could be a warm and comfortable space to work from in the colder months.
Clubbing together with a friend or two could help you save some money.
Cooking for yourself and spending an evening alone is not always fun – and it’s not particularly energy efficient. Getting together in a group and rotating who hosts each week could save you all some money and help you keep in touch with your friends.
You’ll only need to keep one room warm and cook once, rather than heating three separate rooms and cooking three individual meals.
This tip will work even better if you live near each other as you won’t spend money on travel costs.
Heating your whole house will likely be costly and inefficient. Even heating a whole room may not be the best option, at least not for a full day.
Instead, consider alternative ways to keep you warm. Fluffy socks, a warm jumper and a blanket may well be enough for most of the Autumn. As the temperatures get colder, you may need a bit more.
A hot water bottle or an electric blanket can keep you very warm and save you money on your energy bills. Keeping an electric blanket running or heating a kettle to fill a hot water bottle will use significantly less energy than having a radiator on all day.
Do let us know if you try out any of these ways to save money on your energy bills and if they cut your costs at all.
If you enjoyed this blog post and want more money saving tips, check out the All Things Money podcast here!
The All Things Money Podcast is a personal finance podcast designed to help kickstart your personal finance journey.
Join me for light-hearted and chatty conversations as I cover a wide range of personal finance topics we weren’t taught at school from budgeting, saving, investing and everything in between!
