The Home Self guide to saving energy in your home. Energy used in the home accounts for 31% of all energy used in the UK and the average UK home, it splits roughly as follows, 60% for heating, 25% for hot water for washing and 13% for lighting and electrical appliances. Making our home more energy efficient is easier than you might think and not only will it help the planet, it will save you money too! We at Home Serve are going to show you how! Insulate—insulation makes an enormous difference to the cost of heating and should be top of your list of energy saving measures. See, how to insulate your home for more details. Turn off—it might seem like a little thing to turn the main lights off when you are not in the room, but it makes a big difference to our overall energy consumption and do not forget all of the other mini energy—like laptops, printers, scanners, speakers, routers, and keyboards and turn them off properly. Do not just leave them on standby mode. Basically, if it has got a little light it on, turn it off! Energy saving bulbs use around 80% less power than normal light bulbs, but produce the same amount of light. For each bulb you change, you are cutting your CO2 output by around 26 grams per year plus you are saving up to seven quid on your electricity bill and that is for each bulb throw in the fact that they can last ten times longer than normal bulbs and what are you waiting for. Another good way of preserving energy is to buy an electricity saving meter from a DIY shop! This will measure how many kilos of greenhouse gasses your house is consuming per hour so you can work out which devices are the most power hungry. Changing to a green electricity supply is something everyone can do. Do some research for the company with the best green credentials and take a couple of minutes to swap online. Install home renewable energy sources. You can also start generating your own electricity at home using solar panels, ground source heat systems, biomass, or even wind turbines. Be aware however that cost savings are likely to be made over quite a number of years, so this is not genuinely something that is worth doing solely on financial grounds. If you follow these simple steps, you will notice a huge difference in your energy consumption at home. Your bills will be lower and you will be helping to preserve our environment. Now sit back and enjoy your energy improved home!