Small changes can make a real difference to energy use and household bills. The tips below focus on low-cost, practical actions that most households can take immediately.

Appliances

Avoid leaving appliances on standby. Turning devices off at the plug can reduce unnecessary electricity use.

When replacing appliances such as fridges, freezers, dishwashers and washing machines, look for ones displaying the energy saving recommended logo.

Energy saving appliances use less energy and could save you a lot of money.

Fridges and freezers

Fridges and freezers use energy to cool their insides. They do this by having a radiator on the back to get rid of the heat.

To make them work more efficiently this should be well ventilated and in a cool place - not next to cookers, radiators or boilers.

You should try to regularly clean the back of them, and they should also be regularly de-frosted. Freezers especially should be kept full - even with ice cubes.

TVs and computers

Do you switch your TV and computer off at night or just leave them on standby?

If you stop using your television or computer for more than fifteen minutes, it is worth turning it off completely. Leaving either on standby eats up electricity that is mainly produced from fossil fuels.

Washing machines

Always wash a full load in your washing machine - if you can't, use the half-load or economy programme if your machine has one.

Always use the low temperature programme - modern washing powders are just as effective at lower temperatures.

Use a washing line rather than a tumble dryer. If you have to use a tumble dryer, don't put really wet clothes into it; wring them out or spin-dry them first. It's much faster and it will save you money.

Charging devices

Mobile phones, laptops, and other such gadgets all need to be regularly re-charged but once the battery is full the power often doesn't stop.

Even once the gadget is unplugged from the charger, energy can still be wasted as the transformer continues operating.

Remember to stop charging as soon as your device is charged and then turn off or unplug the charger.

Cooking

It takes energy to cook food, but we can all reduce the amount that is wasted.

A lid will keep the heat in a pan. Choose the right size hob to fit the right size pan - smaller pans waste less energy.

Keeping pans covered will also help reduce condensation, which can cause mould growth.

Heating and insulation

Without insulation, you could be spending more on your heating bill by losing heat through your walls and roof.

Many houses have cavity walls that can be filled with insulation, loft insulation can be an easy DIY job.

Most homes and buildings are now centrally heated and modern boilers are much more efficient.

Draughts

Fitting draught excluders to doors and windows will help significantly.

Draughts from floor boards and skirting boards can also be blocked with newspaper, papier-mache, wood filler or decorators caulk.

Extractor fans

If you have an extractor fan in the kitchen or bathroom - turn it off as soon as it's done its job. Left running for an hour it could empty a whole house full of warmed air.

Radiators

Put aluminium foil behind any radiators fitted on outside walls - this saves heat losses and reflects heat back into the room, saving energy and money.

Factory made radiator insulation panels can be fitted behind radiators to improve efficiency.

Thermostats

Use heating controls effectively by setting timers and thermostats to match when your home is occupied.

Thermostats should not be set too high - between 18 degrees Celsius and 21 degrees Celsius is ideal for a living room.

Using thermostatic radiator valves means each room can be adjusted separately too.

Lighting

Saving energy through lighting is one of the best and easiest ways to become energy efficient.

Turning lights off as we leave rooms is an energy habit we should all catch - it's a myth that florescent tubes use more energy to switch on than they use when they are on.

Replace remaining halogen or incandescent bulbs with LED lighting. LEDs use significantly less electricity and last much longer. Using low energy light bulbs means that you can save money as well as energy.

Switch them off when not required.

Walking and cycling

How often could you walk or cycle rather than using the car?

The emissions from cars are very bad for our atmosphere as is the pollution caused by the processing of oil - using your car less, particularly for short journeys, can help reduce this detrimental effect on our environment.

Water

Saving water also saves energy.

Vast amounts of power is used to clean, process and pump water around before it even gets to our houses - and more is used to take it away again.

Water also uses a lot of energy to heat - kettles use 20 or 30 times more energy than a light bulb whilst they are on. Reducing the amount of water from full to half full can save enough energy to run a TV for an hour.

Hot water doesn't need to be scalding. Setting the cylinder thermostat at 60 degrees Celsius is fine for bathing and washing and is hot enough to keep the water bacteria free.

You should:

• take showers rather than baths
• fix dripping taps
• conserve water where possible

Lagging

Hot water and heating pipes should be lagged properly even when they are just under floors where they will heat the floor space rather than the room.

Make sure that hot water cylinders are lagged too. Modern cylinders come covered in an insulating foam to prevent as much heat loss as possible.

Limescale

Elements in kettles and washing machines that are coated with limescale are inefficient and use more energy to raise the temperature of the water they are heating.

Leave a cup full of vinegar in your kettle overnight to remove limescale.

Vinegar can be used to maintain your washing machine too. Every two months, run a 60 degree cycle with no clothes and add 200ml of white vinegar.

This will reduce electricity use and maintain the health of these appliances.

Windows

Windows are big escape routes for heat but can also let in the warming rays of the sun.

Although one of the more expensive energy saving tips, fitting double-glazing cuts heat loss through windows by 50% and will pay for itself well within the life of the windows and add value to a house.

The latest double glazing units are filled with inert gasses and coated with special materials to let heat from the sun come in but stop heat getting out.

Even with double glazing we can help save energy by drawing curtains at dusk - but make sure they don't cover the radiator.