"Top 10" Energy Saving Tips for 2010

Start the New Year with a fresh outlook on energy saving

2010 is set to be a fantastic year for all those that use energy and care about its efficient use.

Simply follow the cost-effective energy saving measures below, and you could cut as much as £300 off your annual energy bill and reduce your household's carbon dioxide emissions by around 1.5 tonnes.

Here are 10 ways to get started:

1- Insulate your loft
Insulating your loft is one of the simplest ways to save energy - you can even install it yourself. Insulate an empty loft today, and in a year you could save around £150 or £45 if you're topping up.

2- Insulate your wall cavities
Uninsulated walls are a big source of heat loss in the home. You could save around £115 on energy bills each year by insulating your wall cavities. It also creates an even temperature in your home. If we all filled our wall cavities, we'd save around £690 million-worth of energy a year.

3- Upgrade your boiler or heating system
If your boiler is over 15 years old it's probably time to replace it. By law, new gas boilers in England and Wales must now be of the high efficiency condensing type, which can help you save up to a quarter on your heating bills.

4- Install double glazing
Energy Saving Recommended double glazing cuts heat loss through windows by 50% and could cut your heating bill by around £140 a year.

5- Fit draft excluders
Eliminate draughts and wasted heat by installing a cheap, easy-to-fix brush or PVC seal on your exterior doors. Letterboxes and keyholes should be covered too.

Draughts also get in through gaps in floorboards and skirting boards, which also allow heat to escape in winter. Stop this waste by filling these gaps with newspaper, beading or sealant.

6- Insulate your hot water cylinder
Insulate your hot water tank with a jacket - it only costs a few pounds and, with all the heat it traps in, it pays for itself within months. Fit one that's at least 75mm (3") thick and you could save around £35 a year. If every UK household that could fitted an adequate tank jacket tomorrow, we'd save £210 million of energy every year!

7- Energy saving light bulbs
Switch to energy saving light bulbs. They last around 10 times longer than ordinary light bulbs, and each bulb you fit could save around £40 over its lifetime - or up to £65 if you are replacing a bright incandescent bulb, or one used for more than a few hours a day. They come in a whole range of styles.

8- Shower... don't bathe
Have a nice hot shower instead of your usual bath. Showers use a fraction of the water that are wasted when baths are run and can save you valuable money and water.

9- Switch it off
Ensure appliances that are not in use are switched off at the wall instead of on standby.

10- Keep an eye on your usage
Many simple devices can be purchased now to allow you to monitor individual appliances and the energy they use. You will not fail to be suprised just how much everyday items do consume. This way you can identify which are the worst culprits and which can save you most money.

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