Energy Saving Tips – Electricity and Gas

With gas prices surging and electricity prices due to increase by 4% in January 2022, many customers are going to struggle to keep themselves warm and pay bills over the winter and spring period.

With the help of Jersey Electricity and Jersey Gas, we’ve compiled a long list of energy-saving tips which may help counteract some of the increased costs of running your home.

Heating

1. Turn your room thermostat down by 1 degree
2. Check the times the heating comes on and adjust accordingly
3. Bleed radiators to prevent cold spots
4. Close your curtains and blinds at night
5. Use draft excluders – make you own with filled plastic bags or tights
6. Put draft-proofing strips around window and door frames
7. Use a chimney draft excluder when not in use – remove before lighting a fire
8. Use blankets and layers of clothes to keep warm

Hot Water

1. Turn your immersion cylinder to 60 degrees
2. Take a quick shower instead of a bath (uses 5 times less water)
3. Use a washing up bowl rather than leaving the hot tap running

Electricity

1. Turn lights off when you are not in the room
2. Don’t leave appliances on standby – turn off at plug
3. Unplug phones, tablets and laptops once fully charged
4. Use a kettle to boil the amount of water needed for cooking or hot drinks
5. Change lightbulbs to energy saving LED ones
6. Fill washing machines and dishwashers to capacity
7. Limit use of tumble dryer by putting clothes on washing line or leaving to air
8. Dust down fridges and radiators for best efficiency and heat flow

Cooking

1. Cook several items at the same time (a set of steamer pans uses less water)
2. Use a microwave when possible
3. Cover your pots and pans to reduce steam and use less energy
4. Freeze spare or bulk cooked food (once cooled down)
5. Consider turning your stove/hob off a couple of minutes before food is fully cooked as the heat from the pan will continue to cook your food

Options which cost money but will help

1. Insulate your loft
2. Lag your hot water cylinder
3. Only purchase energy efficient appliances (A++, A+, A)
4. Consider replacing old boilers with a more energy efficient one
5. Consider buying a smart heating control which put you in control of heating

Help with Bills

If you are struggling to pay your energy bills, please contact the relevant company’s support lines (see below) who may be able to offer a flexible payment plan to help you.

Jersey Electricity

The JEC have a free downloadable app called ‘My JE’ which can be found via the App Store or Google Play (more information on this was in our summer 2021 newsletter. They are also able to send someone to your home to check any appliances that may be using a high amount of electricity and suggest ways to reduce your bill.

Their contact details are:
Telephone: 01534 505460
Email: jec@jec.co.uk

Jersey Gas

Ask Jersey Gas for a Comfort Visit, to make sure your heating system is well-maintained and running efficiently.

Their contact details are:
Telephone: 01534 755500
Contact form: https://www.jsygas.com/contact/

Helpful Links

Here are some links from Jersey Electricity, Jersey Gas and the Energy Savings Trust that you may find helpful:

https://www.jec.co.uk/your-home/help-advice/saving-energy/saving-energy-in-your-home

https://www.jec.co.uk/your-home/help-advice/bills-payments/reducing-your-bill/

https://www.jsygas.com/online-services/calculate-bill.php