Article updated December 2024
How to save money on your energy bills
Energy price cap
From 1st January to 31st March 2025, the Ofgem energy price cap will be set at £1,738 for a typical household per year. This is an increase of 1.2% compared to the cap set between 1st October to 31st December 2024 (£1,717).
The energy price cap is the maximum amount energy suppliers can charge you for each unit of energy if you're on a standard variable tariff.
It doesn’t mean your bill has been capped regardless of how much gas and electricity you use. If you use more than a typical household paying £1,738 a year, your bills will be higher.
See what you could do to reduce the energy you use and what financial help may be available.
Home energy grants and support
There is government support for people who need help paying for their energy. You might already be making use of it or others you might not have heard of and are eligible for. Take a look.
If you’re struggling with the rising cost of energy, support is available. From grants to tailor-made payment plans, here’s what suppliers are doing to help. Find help with energy bills.
You can also contact us to see what steps to take if you’re struggling financially. Find out how we could help.
See also Home energy grants and schemes on this page.
This loan is available to homeowners only - businesses, landlords and property developers are ineligible. The amount of funding you can claim depends on what improvements you want to make, and you have to phone Home Energy Scotland to get impartial advice about your home before proceeding with the application.
Find out more from the Home Energy Scotland website.
The Warm Home Discount is a one off discount of £140 off your winter electricity bill between September and March. You may be eligible if you claim the Guarantee Credit element of Pension Credit or are on a low income.
The Winter Fuel Payment is a payment of between £100 and £300 to help towards your winter heating bills.
If you were born on or before 5 August 1953 and you get the State Pension or another social security benefit, then you may be eligible.
The Energy Company Obligation (ECO) is an agreement with energy suppliers to provide affordable energy through the Affordable Warmth scheme. This scheme can help with the cost of insulation work or boiler upgrades.
It's available to people on certain benefits and live in private housing, and to those living in social housing.
Find out more on the Gov.uk website.
Warmer Homes Scotland is designed to help vulnerable people make their homes warmer and more comfortable by installing a range of energy saving measures. The Scottish Government is offering assistance to homeowners and private sector tenants struggling to heat their home, who have lived in their property for at least twelve months, and who meet the qualifying criteria.
Find out how you could benefit from this scheme by visiting the Home Energy Scotland website.
This scheme provides funding for local authorities to develop and deliver energy efficiency programmes (mainly solid wall insulation) in areas with high levels of fuel poverty. The area-based schemes are designed and delivered by councils with local delivery partners.
Find out more from the gov.scot website.
You may be able to get free or cheaper insulation to reduce your home’s energy bills.
You might get support if your home:
- has an energy performance certificate (EPC) of D to G
- is in Council Tax bands A-D in England or A-E in Scotland or Wales
You can be a homeowner, landlord or tenant (either renting privately or from a housing association). If you’re a tenant, speak to your landlord before you apply. You’ll need their permission before any insulation can be installed.
This scheme is not available in Northern Ireland.
Save energy, room by room
Tips updated: December 2024
Wash clothes at a lower temperature. 90% of a washing machine's energy usage is spent heating the water, so washing at a cooler temperature (30°C) will save energy and money (Uswitch, 2024).
Place lids on pots when you’re cooking. You’ll use less energy and time to cook your food by preventing heat escaping from the pot. Turn off the heat a couple of minutes before your food is fully cooked. Your pot will take some time to cool down and continue to heat your food.
Don’t overfill kettles. If your kettle doesn’t let you see how many cups worth of water you’re boiling, simply fill a cup from the tap, or however much you need, and pour it into the kettle.
Use 'eco' settings on appliances. Appliances, such as dishwashers, often have an ‘eco’ setting which is designed to use less energy. Although the cleaning cycle can take longer, it will be more energy efficient than an intensive quick cycle.
Close the fridge door. Leaving the fridge door open causes it to work harder to keep the temperature cool, so try to limit how long the door stays open. If your fridge has an alarm, make sure it’s turned on, in case you leave it open by mistake. Defrosting your freezer regularly will help it to run efficiently too.
If your hot water is too hot to wash your hands in, then your setting is too high so turn the boiler down.
Four-minute shower. Less time in the shower will help reduce the volume of water that goes down the drain, as well as saving money on the energy used to heat the water. A 4-minute shower could save a typical household (based on 2.39 persons) £55 a year on their bills – and an extra £76 on their water bill, if metered (source: Energy Saving Trust, 2024). The charity WaterAid has created a playlist of four-minute songs to keep you to time.
Fitting a water efficient shower head could also help reduce your hot water usage while keeping the sensation of a powerful shower.
Good ventilation is important. Taking a bath or shower in a poorly ventilated bathroom will create more moisture in the air, making it harder to heat. That could mean your boiler has to work harder to warm a radiator. If you don’t have an extractor fan, then keep a window open until any moisture clears.
Lower the temperature. Getting your bedroom at the right temperature could help you get a better sleep and reduce how much energy you use. According to the Sleep Foundation (2024), the temperature to aim for is 18.3 degrees Celsius. You don’t need to be that precise but fitting thermostatic radiator valves will help you to set the right temperature for different rooms in your home.
Get more from your radiators. When dust gathers on radiators in makes them less effective. Make sure you keep the top and back clear of dust. It’s the same problem with dust at the back of fridges but moving them can be tricky. Avoid drying clothes on radiators too – this makes your boiler work harder.
Turn off standby. Leaving appliances on standby means they’re still using energy. The same goes for any room but living rooms can be home to a range of household gadgets, from televisions to music systems. Although it may be a small amount, it starts to add up if you do this every day – wasting energy and money.
Let the light in. It’s common for living rooms to have the largest area of glass in the home. On sunnier days, natural light will help nudge the temperature up naturally.
Reduce draughts. It can be difficult to work out where cold draughts are coming from, but gaps in wooden floorboards or open fireplaces can be culprits. Under floor insulation is one solution, but it might be cheaper and less of an upheaval to fill the gaps with a specially designed filler. For fireplaces, whether you use them or not, it’s best to get professional help. Especially if the solution involves inserting a draught stopper or accessing the roof to change the chimney.

See what financial support is available
You might be eligible for help with your energy bills or making your home more energy efficient. It's worth doing some research to see what help might be available to you.
More ways to save energy
1. Learn more about your energy bill
A typical household gas or electricity bill can be confusing. Taking time to understand them better could help you to check you're not paying more than you should be. You could also try Uswitch's handy tool to check your current tariff and get more tips.
2. Adjust your thermostat by 1 degree
Using your thermostat as an on/off switch or pressing boost too often can mean more gas is wasted. Ideally set your thermostat between 18-21°c, better still, turn it down by just 1 degree and it could help lower your energy bill (Source: Energy Saving Trust, 2023).
3. Adjust your boiler’s flow temperature
Your boiler’s flow setting controls the temperature water is when it leaves your boiler. Its default setting is usually too high, it's a bit like putting your foot flat to the floor when driving. Try setting your boiler’s flow temperature between 55 and 60 degrees. Your home will feel just as warm, but it could cut your energy bills (source: Octopus Energy, 2022).
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