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Help for cutting your energy use and costs at home

With living costs rising for households across the UK, many people are looking to keep their spending down. So we’ve pulled together some useful tips for things you can do at home to save energy, lower your electricity bills and play a part in tackling climate change.

From TVs to tablets, a typical UK household now uses an average of 18 devices to keep connected and entertained. We estimate that the electricity required to power these devices and your broadband makes up around 30% of the average UK electricity bill, but there are steps you can take to cut down your energy use and save money at the same time.

Following these tips could help save you hundreds of pounds.

  1. Switch your smartphone to SIM-only: if you’re still happy with your mobile phone at the end of your contract period, you could make big savings by switching to a cheaper ‘SIM-only’ deal and continuing to use your current handset – instead of buying a new one. With ‘SIM-only’ deals starting from less than £10 a month, keeping your handset for four years rather than two, can save you the cost of a new smartphone (which now cost around £355 on average).
  2. Use low-power standby settings on games consoles and set-top boxes: our research shows 60% of UK adults now play games on or offline, but you might not realise games consoles offer the option of a low-power standby mode. The same is true of most set-top TV boxes. Using low power standby can save you up to £35 per year, per device.
  3. Think about how you connect your devices at home: Wi-Fi extenders or boosters can extend the reach of your Wi-Fi signal to other parts of your home, but every additional booster costs up to £20 per year to run. Positioning your router in an open location – not hidden behind cupboard doors or household objects – could help keep you better connected for less. And if you need to reach a particular room or work space, consider running an ethernet cable to connect higher-performance devices that don’t need to be moved. This includes home office equipment and others such as TVs, set-top boxes and games consoles.

More sustainability steps you can take

There are other small steps you can take that, combined, can play a part in reducing your energy use overall.

For example, TVs have a number of energy-saving features, which are worth exploring in your TV’s settings. And if you’re buying a new TV, look for the energy rating to see how energy efficient the model is.

Recycling old and unwanted equipment can make a difference too. If you’re upgrading to a new mobile handset, check to see if you can save money with your provider by recycling your old one. Or consider gifting it to a friend or family member. Most broadband providers also offer a recycling service for old routers – allowing you to return them free of charge so they can be re-used.

Don’t switch off

You might see some advice that suggests switching off electronic devices completely at night to help save energy. And while that may be practical and worthwhile for some home electrical items, you shouldn’t do this for things like broadband routers or smart security devices. Keeping them connected – even if on standby – can be important for allowing software updates and background downloads.

More money-saving tips

There are other things you can do to save money on your telecoms and TV bills – including making sure you’re on the best package for you. Check out our money-saving tips for more information.

 

Channel website: https://www.ofcom.org.uk/

Original article link: https://www.ofcom.org.uk/news-centre/2022/help-for-cutting-your-energy-use-and-costs-at-home

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