Seven ways you can save money on your electricity bills as a Cardiff student

You are not alone if you have already been feeling the effects of the cost of living crisis we are currently experiencing.

Cardiff Uni students have recently received some guidance from the SU explaining the measures the university will be launching to help support students during this time, including keeping the SU open 24 hours a day, seven days a week, plus also maintaining the student kitchen there so students can make basic meals there while they study.

Of course, every household has a different budget, but everyone wants to be able to save as much as they possibly can this winter, so we’re here to help.

Layers, layers, layers

Reaching for your fluffiest dressing gown is probably most people’s first thought when the temperatures start to drop, but this winter we really do need to make use of all of our warm clothes. By layering our clothes and snuggling under blankets, we will hopefully reduce the amount of time we spend with the heating on and, as we all know, every little helps.

Put your heating on a timer

Although it’s easy to recommend just putting on a jumper and switching off the heating for as long as possible, we all know that that will only work for so long. Hopefully it won’t be necessary to have the heating on for 24 hours a day, so setting up your heating on a timer which only turns on in the coldest times of the day is a great option to help save money and it gives you the best of both worlds.

According to Viessmann, on average, an hour of heating will cost around 91 pence. If you keep your heating on to a few hours per day instead of all the time you could save yourself over £130 a week.

Experts also recommend lowering your heating setting by just one degree. It is said that this could lower your energy bill by a fair amount and you most likely won’t feel much difference (although if you do start to feel a bit chilly then by all means crank it up again, we won’t judge).

10 degrees can make the difference  

The Energy Saving Trust believes that washing your laundry at 30 degrees instead of 40 degrees or above could save about 40 per cent of the annual energy used. Also on the topic of laundry, be sure to try to cram as much as you can into one load in order to save on the amount of washes you do, and maybe try out air drying instead of using the tumble dryer.

Insulate your house  

No, we don’t mean getting a handyman in to put stuffing in the walls. Heat starts to escape when the sun goes down, so one way to stop it from escaping out of your house is to shut your blinds and make sure that all windows and doors remain closed as much as possible after dark. Installing curtains can cut your energy consumption by up to 15 per cent, which translates to a potential annual savings of £30.  

Large furniture placed next to a radiator can also prevent heat from entering the space, so it may be worth rearranging your room slightly in order to allow for maximum heat flow throughout the space. Just moving your sofa a few inches away from the radiator could potentially save up to £127.70 at this time of year, according to energy experts.

Make use of where you study

If you enjoy studying outside of your accommodation, whether that is in a library, café, or even a bar, then take advantage of their facilities and charge your devices there. The more of their energy you use, the less you’ll have to use of your own; work smarter, not harder.

Buy energy-efficient appliances

This is for those who are looking to purchase appliances for their houses. Buying appliances after checking the energy ratings, running the washing machine at night and using LEDs that are highly efficient in saving energy. Filling your house with more energy-efficient appliances could save homeowners up to £336 a year, so it is definitely worth doing some research before splurging on your next gadget.

Look for Government schemes  

Under a new, two-year Energy Price Guarantee, the average household could save £1,000 annually on energy costs. The government has also been offering various grants to the people, in which the first one with £400 for which every household in the UK is eligible and the amount will be credited into your energy account. 

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