Energy and water saving tips

Save energy and reduce your carbon footprint.

We would like to remind you of some simple steps you can take to use energy efficiently to ensure that not only you keep within the utility allowance, but also to do your bit to save energy and reduce your carbon footprint, which means benefits for the planet too.

You must be aware of your energy use in your day-to-day activities within your property, by ensuring you act sensibly, respect the property and your landlord. Your usage is not limitless; you need to be conscious of this at all times. As a result, you should be able to avoid going above the utility allowance. Make sure to have a conversation in your property about energy use with all your co-tenants, too. Significant change and reduction of carbon footprint in a household can have a bigger impact and will be far easier to achieve if everyone is on the same page and works together. To view your allowance for utilities, click here. 

Please have a read of our advice below to help you stay within your allowances in all areas:

Gas-saving tips

• Before turning up the heating, ensure you are wearing appropriate clothing; this is one of the simplest and most effective ways to manage the heating. Think about adding layers before turning up the heating.
• Do not leave the heating on for extended periods of time. One of the biggest savings in energy can be made by only having the heating on when you need it. Using a timer is best, because your thermostat is designed to turn your heating system on and off to keep your home at the temperature you set it – this should not be above 20°C when you are home and turned down 12°C overnight or when you are not at the property. If you’re unsure how to use your heating or need help setting up the timer function, please send us a photo of your boiler and thermostat control so we can get instructions to you.
• Remember to set the temperature relative to the time of year. During the winter months, this is likely to be a little higher than in the summer. We recommend keeping the property at 18°C. Please be vigilant of the change in seasons and ensure you change the set temperature and timer as appropriate.
• Do not regulate the heating by opening a window; you must turn the thermostat down or turn the heating off. Lots of radiators come with a TRV control, which you can adjust in each room.
• Turn down the temperatures on the radiators in rooms you aren’t using.
• If you are all away for long periods of time, turn the heating down to 10 degrees. This will be good for your usage to counteract higher usage during colder periods.
• Don’t cover radiators. You should never dry clothes on radiators. Make sure you use airers near a radiator, as wet clothes cool radiators down, making the boiler work harder. It also produces a lot of excess moisture and contributes to condensation issues.
• Make sure furniture is not against radiators. There should be a 10cm gap to help the circulation of warm air around the room.
• If you have a combi boiler fitted, you can reduce the flow temperature to between 55-60°C.
• Using a microwave to heat food instead of a gas hob uses far less energy and is often quicker.
• Making sure the radiators are bled means a more efficient heating system. If you notice part of your radiator isn’t getting warm, contact us, and we will come to check the radiator for you.

Electric saving tips

• Turn off appliances at the socket. Appliances such as TVs, games consoles, computers and smart devices all use energy continuously when they are on standby or just plugged in.
• Wash clothes at a lower temperature. Turning down to 30°C for clothes that aren’t heavily soiled means you get more cycles for your energy cost. When you do your washing always try to wash a full load.
• If you are lucky enough to have a dishwasher, always wait until you have a full load before starting a cycle.
• Only boil enough water in the kettle for what you need.
• If you have a tumble dryer, only use it in the colder months and hang clothes out to dry where possible.
• If you have to change a bulb during your tenancy, choose LED energy-efficient bulbs.
• Check your fridge is set between 3-5°C and defrost any freezers that have frosted over.
• Switch off the lights when you leave a room.
• Keep your oven door closed when cooking. If you open the door for too long, the hot air escapes, and it takes more energy to get back up to temperature.
• Try batch cooking while the oven is on to save even more energy and time.
• Consider how you cook – microwaves, slow cookers and air fryers use far less energy than ovens and hobs.
• If your appliance has an eco-mode, use it where possible. Lots of household appliances have eco modes, which are designed to use less energy.
• Keep your appliances clean! Making sure the filters are kept clean on appliances like tumble dryers, fridges, microwaves, and vacuums keeps them running efficiently.
• Ensure additional appliances such as electric heaters, tumble dryers, air conditioning units, de-humidifiers and additional fridge/freezers are not being used in the property unless authorised or supplied by the landlord.

Water saving tips

• Report any leaking fixtures or fittings which need repairing through your WhatsApp group, such as water constantly running in the toilet.
• Have shorter showers. Even spending just one minute less in the shower saves up to 19 litres!
• Make sure you have a full load before using your dishwasher if you have one.
• Fill what you need in kettles and pans; overfilling also increases energy usage.
• If you keep houseplants, you can collect rainwater to water them, which saves tap water and is better for them.

Included in your tenancy agreement is a maximum allowance for the use of gas, water and electricity based on a 50-week tenancy (should the tenancy term vary from 50 weeks, the allowance will be apportioned accordingly). If the allowance is exceeded, your landlord could choose to pass on the additional charges to you. Should a charge be enforced, you would be provided with evidence in the form of the utility bills to cover the tenancy period. To help you monitor and stay within this allowance, we have created this handy calculator.

If you would like help with tracking your usage during the tenancy, please let us know, and we can help you with this. If you have any questions at all or need further guidance on how to operate your heating controls or other appliances, please feel free to contact our office, and we will do everything we can to help you.