Energy Saving Trust reveals £6billion worth of energy savings for UK homes

UK households can now save a collective £6 billion on their energy bills by adopting simple energy-saving measures in the home, according to the Energy Saving Trust.

The £1 billion increase, from £5 billion to £6 billion, means that individual households could cut their annual fuel bills by an unprecedented £250 by sufficiently insulating their home and adopting other measures such as installing energy-saving light bulbs.

Philip Sellwood, Chief Executive of the Energy Saving Trust, said: "It's easy to take our day to day energy consumption for granted, but with the cost of running our homes on the increase, energy saving measures can help offset energy suppliers’ price hikes as well as protect the environment."

"The simplest of measures can produce significant savings. Installing just one energy-saving light bulb, for example, can save up to £7 a year off your energy bill, while fitting a hot water jacket will save up to £15.”

The Energy Saving Trust has compiled a list of some of the measures that can be implemented to show how and where money can be saved throughout the home:

Replacing an old boiler with an A-rated energy efficient gas condensing boiler: Individual saving of around a third of your heating bill, UK annual saving of £1.2 billion and a saving of 11.8 million tonnes CO2 per year.

Filling a cavity wall: Individual annual saving of £100 - £120, UK annual saving of £877 million and a saving of 8.2 million tonnes CO2 per year.

Insulating a loft: Individual annual saving of £140 - £170, UK annual saving of £544 million and a saving of 5.1 million tonnes CO2 per year.

Replacing a fridge freezer with an 'A+' rated model: Individual annual saving of£35, UK annual saving of £455 million and a saving of 2.5 million tonnes CO2 per year.

Putting a jacket on a hot water tank: Individual annual saving of£ 10 - £20, UK annual saving of £64 million and a saving of 600,000 tonnes CO2 per year.

Changing one light bulb to an energy efficient one: Individual annual saving of Up to £7*, UK annual saving of £66 million and a saving of360,000 tonnes CO2 per year.

Turning a thermostat down by 1°C: Individual annual saving of around £30, UK annual saving of £716 million and a saving of 6.7 million tonnes CO2 per year.

Notes to Editors:

* - Assumes replacing a 100W light bulb with a 20W energy saving bulb and 1,100 hours of use per year.

Energy-saving figures above are based on a gas heated three-bedroom semi-detached house with gas central heating. Assumes gas costs 1.97p/kWh and electricity costs 7.9p/kWh. The UK saving is based on all households with the potential for installing these measures doing so.

Company Information:

The Energy Saving Trust (http://www.est.org.uk) was set up by the UK Government after the 1992 Earth Summit in Rio de Janeiro and is one of the UK’s leading organisations addressing the damaging affects of climate change. It aims to cut carbon dioxide emissions by promoting the sustainable and efficient use of energy. EST is a non-profit organisation funded by government and the private sector. EST provides free, impartial advice on how to make your home more energy efficient and save money on household bills.