Home energy

In the UK, emissions from residential properties account for 20% of all emissions from the UK. This is because our homes use large quantities of energy to allow us to keep warm, cook food and entertain ourselves.

Our homes typically use gas to keep warm and to cook, and electricity to power lighting and appliances. Homes with a poor ability to keep heat in waste huge quantities of energy which release emissions along the way. Similarly, inefficient appliances and lighting waste electricity too. Although it can be expensive to upgrade your homes insulation there are still things, we can do to reduce energy wastage.

Heating

Heating is one of the largest sources of wasted energy in homes. By making a few changes we can reduce this waste and save money and emissions:

• The most efficient way to use heating is to turn it on when needed, rather than leaving it on constantly at a lower temperature.
• Turning your thermostat down by 1 degree can save you up to £100 per year!
• Turning off radiators in rooms not in use can drastically reduce the amount of time you need the heating on.
• Where possible, use a microwave instead of an oven for heating and cooking certain foods. For example, it is much more efficient in terms of both energy and money to cook a jacket potato in a microwave as opposed to an oven.
• Bleed radiators when needed to ensure your heating system is efficient.

In addition to the above, you can also increase your homes draft proofing to keep rooms warm and consider looking into insulation measures.

Electricity

Reducing electricity waste is actually quite easy. Below are some of the steps you can take:

• Ensure all bulbs in your home are LED.
• Turn off lights when not in use.
• Don’t leave appliances like TVs on. Switch off at the plug if you can.
• Only boil the water you need in the kettle.
• If you have an electric hob, use lids on pans to reduce the power needed to keep hot.
• Hang clothes out to dry or use a clothes horse instead of a tumble dryer.

The key to reducing electricity use is to only power on things when you need them, and avoid using them if you don’t need to.

Understanding Energy Usage

When we talk about energy you will often hear terms like kilowatt hour (kWh) mentioned a lot. kWh are used to describe energy use over time and can be used for gas and electricity. When we say an appliance uses 1 kWh we are saying that to turn that appliance on, and leave it on for an hour, will require 1 kilowatt (Kw) of energy. As we are charged per kWh of energy we can work out how much any given appliance cost us. To do this, we need to look at how many watts (W) an appliance uses at any given time. We then divide that by 1000 (1000 watts in a kilowatt) and then multiply it by the number of hours we use it for. Finally, multiple that number by the amount you get charged per kWh. The wattage of an appliance can be found on the sticker on the back/bottom of the appliance.

The below table gives some example appliance costs based on a kWh price of £0.35.

Appliance	Power	kWh	Cost per hour	Time Used	Cost per Use
Tumble Dryer	3,000 W	3	£1.05	1 Hour	£1.05
Oven	2,000 W	2	£0.70	1 Hour	£0.70
Kettle	1,800 W	1.8	£0.63	2 Mins	£0.02
Electric Hob	1,700 W	1.7	£0.60	30 Mins	£0.30
Vacuum Cleaner	1,400 W	1.4	£0.49	10 Mins	£0.08
Microwave	1,200 W	1.2	£0.42	5 Mins	£0.03
Toaster	1,200 W	1.2	£0.42	2 Mins	£0.01
Dishwasher	1,200 W	1.2	£0.42	30 Mins	£0.21
Iron	1,100 W	1.1	£0.39	10 Mins	£0.06
Air Fryer	1,000 W	1	£0.35	15 Mins	£0.09
Washer	700 W	0.7	£0.25	30 Mins	£0.12
Slow Cooker	225 W	0.225	£0.08	6 Hours	£0.47
PlayStation 5	201 W	0.201	£0.07	3 Hours	£0.21
Sky Q Box	45 W	0.045	£0.02	6 Hours	£0.09
TV	30 W	0.03	£0.01	6 Hours	£0.06
Incandescent Light Bulb	60 W	0.06	£0.02	6 Hours	£0.13
LED Light Bulb	10 W	0.01	£0.00	6 Hours	£0.02

Based on the above usages, this house will use £3.65 of electricity every day, and that is only accounting for 2 light bulbs, 1 cup of tea and one meal. For 30 days, that just over £100.

More Energy Saving Advice and Grants

This year, many more of us may need support with our energy bills and staying warm this winter. If you are worried about paying your fuel bills you are not alone, millions of people in England live in cold homes and this is something we are trying to tackle in Doncaster. The Energy Saving Advice and Grants page has tips and advice that could help you stay warm, save money and improve your physical and mental health.

There are a range of local and national support measures in place, for more information visit the Doncaster Council Energy Saving Advice and Grants page.