How to Save Energy at Home: 15 Simple Steps Ranked by Impact

Saving energy at home lowers your bills and reduces the emissions that come with producing electricity and burning fuel. The challenge is knowing where to focus. Many popular tips, such as unplugging phone chargers, save very little, while a few less exciting changes save a lot.

This guide starts with where energy goes in a typical home, then ranks practical steps from highest to lowest impact.

Where home energy goes

The exact breakdown depends a lot on your climate, your home and how you heat it. In many homes in cool and temperate climates, it looks roughly like this:

In warm climates, air conditioning takes the place of heating. In mild climates with little heating or cooling, hot water and appliances become the biggest items.

High impact

1. Adjust the thermostat

Each degree matters. Lowering a heating thermostat by 1 °C can cut heating energy use by several percent. In summer, setting air conditioning a degree or two higher has a similar effect. Around 18 to 20 °C in winter and 24 to 26 °C in summer is comfortable for most people with appropriate clothing.

2. Seal drafts

Gaps around doors, windows, letterboxes and pipes let heated or cooled air escape. Self-adhesive weatherstripping, door sweeps and a draft snake (a fabric tube filled with sand or old fabric, a good use for old t-shirts) are cheap and quick to install. Leave ventilation in kitchens and bathrooms open, and keep vents for fuel-burning heaters clear.

3. Heat and cool only the rooms you use

Close doors to unused rooms and close their vents or turn down their radiators. A small fan in the room you are in uses far less energy than air conditioning the whole home.

4. Lower hot water temperature and use less of it

Water heaters are often set higher than needed. Around 60 °C at the tank is a common recommendation, since storage water should stay hot enough to control bacteria like Legionella, but setting it far above this wastes energy. Shorter showers and a low-flow shower head reduce hot water use significantly.

5. Use curtains and shades strategically

In winter, open curtains on sunny windows during the day and close them at night to keep heat in. In summer, close blinds and curtains on sun-facing windows during the hottest hours. External shading, such as awnings or plants, is even more effective.

Medium impact

6. Wash laundry in cold water

Most of the energy a washing machine uses goes into heating water. Modern detergents work well at 30 °C or below. Run full loads.

7. Air-dry clothes

Tumble dryers are among the most energy-hungry appliances in the home. Drying on a rack or line is free, and gentler on fabric.

8. Keep the fridge and freezer efficient

Set the fridge to around 3 to 4 °C and the freezer to around -18 °C. Lower settings use more energy without improving food safety. Keep the door seals clean, leave space behind the unit for air to circulate, and defrost freezers that build up ice.

9. Switch to LED lighting

LED bulbs use roughly 75 to 80 percent less electricity than traditional incandescent bulbs and last many times longer. Replace the bulbs you use most first.

10. Run the dishwasher full and skip pre-rinsing

A full dishwasher on an eco cycle typically uses less water and energy than washing the same load by hand under a running tap. Scrape plates instead of rinsing them.

Lower impact, still worth doing

11. Cut standby power

Devices on standby, like TVs, game consoles, set-top boxes and computer speakers, draw small amounts constantly. Plug entertainment setups into a power strip and switch it off at night. Modern phone chargers draw very little when nothing is plugged in.

12. Cook efficiently

Use lids on pots, match pan size to the burner, and use a kettle to boil water for cooking. Microwaves, pressure cookers and small air fryers use less energy than a full oven for small portions.

13. Turn off lights in empty rooms

A simple habit that adds up over a year, especially for any remaining older bulbs.

14. Buy efficient appliances when replacing

When an appliance needs replacing, compare energy labels. A more efficient fridge or washing machine pays back over its long life. Do not replace working appliances early just for efficiency, since manufacturing new ones has its own environmental cost.

15. Look after what you have

Clean filters in heating and cooling systems, vacuum the coils behind the fridge, and descale the kettle (our natural cleaners guide explains how). Well-maintained equipment runs more efficiently.

Measure to stay motivated

Many utilities offer online usage tracking or smart meters. An inexpensive plug-in energy monitor shows how much electricity a single appliance uses, which is useful for settling household debates about the old fridge in the garage.

Small changes add up, but starting with heating, cooling and hot water gives you the biggest results for the least effort. Pair energy saving with water saving, such as a rain barrel for the garden, and you will see the difference in both bills.