Five ways to cut your energy bill when working from home

Millions of homes could save on energy bills while staying at home due to coronavirus 

UK households are predicted to spend an extra £52 million a week on energy bills as people stay home due to the coronavirus pandemic, data from Uswitch shows. 

The price comparison site found that the average home could pay £16 a month more for energy – roughly £195 extra per year. 

There are a number of ways to bring down the cost of your energy bill while working from home. 

From fitting energy efficient bulbs to unplugging unused appliances, we round up five simple ways to reduce how much you pay for power while staying in. 

1) Switch off unnecessary lights

Simply switching off lights that are not in use could save you £14 a year on your annual energy bill, according to the Energy Saving Trust. 

Where possible, try working in a room with lots of natural light. This can help you save money on powering unnecessary desk lamps and overhead lights.

2) Replace your light bulbs

Fitting energy efficient light bulbs in your home could bring down the cost your energy bill.

Households using energy efficient LED lights could save £35 a year, estimates from the Energy Saving Trust show. 

3) Turn down the thermostat

Keeping an eye on your thermostat can help slash your energy bills.

Turning down your thermostat by just 1°C could help you save as much as £75 per year, according to Uswitch. 

4) Unplug devices not in use

Leaving unused devices and appliances plugged in can push up bills. 

Even charge cables that are not plugged into rechargeable devices but are atill connected to a socket can waste electricity. 

Unplugging anything that is not actively being used, or switching off the power at the plug, could save £50 to £85 a year,

5) Switch to a better energy deal

Standard variable rate energy tariffs are are often expensive, as the price you pay per unit of energy changes at the discretion of your supplier.

If you are on a variable tariff, switching to better deal could save you hundreds of pounds a year. 

Cordelia Samson, energy expert at Uswitch.com, says: “Working from home and entertaining children during the day means having the heating on when it wouldn’t usually be, and using extra gas and electricity for cooking, making cups of tea, televisions and computers.”

“There are plenty of simple ways you can reduce the amount of energy use around your home, however, and if you’re concerned about the amount you’re paying, you should compare energy deals to see if there is a cheaper plan you can move to.”