Keep Warm This Winter: Reduce Your Energy Consumption and Save Money

We care about the planet at So Energy, and our priority is helping you to save money. We want you to have a warm winter without busting the budget.

As we all know, this time of year can be particularly heavy on the purse strings. What with Christmas, cold nights, and early sunsets, we find ourselves spending heavily on food and fuel, and subsidising Santa's gift list.

And it all adds up, doesn't it?

So, we thought that we’d try and help by offering some ways in which you can keep warm this winter, without blowing the budget.

1. Only heat the rooms you use

Heating empty rooms is wasteful and not a great way to help save the planet. Staying warm during the winter can be expensive, so if you rarely use the dining room or the spare room, switch off the radiators.

If you have six rooms in the house and you only use four of them, you could reduce your energy consumption by 25%. That could be a saving of £250 on a typical energy bill of £1000 for the year.

2. Keep your boiler in tiptop condition

It might seem a little counter-intuitive to pay to save money, but spending a little on a boiler service each year keeps it in prime condition and can significantly reduce your energy consumption.

According to the Energy Saving Trust, heating your home accounts for 55% of your total energy spend.

To help you keep your existing boiler working as efficiently as possible, So Energy has joined forces with HomeServe, providing a free boiler service in the first year.

3. Insulation

Most modern homes are built with energy efficiency in mind, but if you live in an older building, you might find that your insulation isn't as efficient as it could be. Insulating your home helps you save money on your bills, but it also means that you're not needlessly wasting the earth's valuable resources and emitting less carbon.

Most local councils offer a grant to help improve your home's energy efficiency. Check here to see what help is available for you.

4. Wrap up

While it’s lovely to run about in shorts and T-shirts during the summer, the winter has that inimitable hygge that just demands chunky socks and jumpers, cosy blankets on the sofa, and those funky, fuzzy slippers you got from your aunty last Christmas.

Rather than cranking up the heat, why not snuggle up on the sofa under a soft fleece blanket while watching TV?

Stick on your slippers to prevent that shock to the system when you step foot on those stylish kitchen floor tiles.

The winter is all about hibernation, so make the most of those dark, cold nights with the warm hug of cosy clothing.

5. Switch to LED

We use the electric lights far more during the winter months because it gets dark earlier. So, if you haven't transferred your light bulbs to LED yet, you won't have discovered the fantastic savings you can make.

Sure, LED bulbs are more expensive than traditional incandescent light bulbs to buy, but they last up to 25x longer and produce instant light (unlike old-school energy-saving halogen bulbs).

High-wattage incandescent light bulbs are inefficient because they produce a lot of heat - all wasted energy that hovers around the ceiling rather than convecting around the room.

LEDs are cool to the touch. And what's more, they don't emit UV light which attracts flying insects during the summer.

So, there you have it. Five ways of helping tackle that troublesome winter fuel bill, helping you save the planet by using less of Mother Nature's natural resources.

And don't forget to check out our very special boiler deal with HomeServe to help you start saving right now.