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Turning off the lights and using an airfryer voted the top energy-saving actions to lower bills

  •  Turning lights off in a room no one’s using (29%), using an air fryer rather than the oven (26%), and washing clothes at a lower temperature (25%) top the list of things smart meter owners think have saved them the most money on their energy bills
  • Turning plugs and devices off rather than leaving them on standby (17%), not leaving devices charging overnight (14%), and only boiling the water you need in the kettle (12%) are judged by people to save the least money
  • Almost six in ten people (59%) with a smart meter say their understanding of their energy use and costs have improved since the start of the energy crisis, with nine in ten (90%) finding their in-home display useful
  • Almost nine in ten (87%) smart meter owners are carrying out more actions to save energy now than they were in 2021
  • Plus: the top 10 energy saving actions that people carry out more regularly since the start of the energy crisis
  • Plus: personal finance expert Mrs Mummypenny shares her top energy-saving advice

Energy conscious smart meter owners say turning lights off in a room no one’s using (29%) is the energy-saving action they believe has saved them the most money since the start of the energy crisis in 2021.

A survey of smart meter owners, carried out by Censuswide on behalf of Smart Energy GB, found other top ways people think they have saved money on their bills include using air fryers instead of the oven (26%), and washing clothes at a lower temperature (25%).

On the other hand, energy-saving behaviours such as turning off plugs and devices rather than leaving them on standby (17%), not leaving devices charging overnight (14%), and only boiling the water you need in the kettle (12%) were voted as having less impact, saving people less money.

With energy bills having fallen by more than £200 per year on average on 1 April due to a reduction in the energy price cap, over half (52%) of respondents said they have invested financially in energy-saving measures in the last three years.

While the energy crisis has been difficult for many people across the country, almost six in ten smart meter owners say their understanding of their energy use and costs has improved since the crisis began in 2021 (59%). The crisis may also have led energy-saving measures to become more embedded, with almost nine in ten (87%) smart meter owners carrying out more actions now than they were in 2021.

The survey, examining how the last few years have changed the nation’s energy habits, found that the top 10 things that people are doing more regularly now to save energy are:

  1. Turning lights off in a room no-one is using (52%)
  2. Turning plugs off when things aren’t being used (43%)
  3. Switching devices off rather than leave them on standby (40%)
  4. Washing clothes at a lower temperature (38%)
  5. Only boiling the water you need in the kettle (37%)
  6. Using an air fryer rather than the oven (33%)
  7. Shorter showers (31%)
  8. Using energy efficient lighting (31%)
  9. Using a clothes line instead of a tumble dryer (29%)
  10. Not leaving devices to charge all night (27%)

People are finding the in-home display (IHD) that comes with their smart meter increasingly useful; nine in ten (90%) find their IHD useful, and almost two thirds of people (62%) say the information it displays has helped them to reduce their energy usage, up from 32% in 2023 and 23% in 2022.

Personal finance expert Lynn Beattie, aka Mrs Mummypenny, said: “Three years on from the start of the energy crisis, we all want to know which of our energy saving habits are having a real impact on our bills. But it’s hard to know what energy-saving looks like without the gimmicks.

“It’s important to keep in mind that while one energy saving habit may not put a big dent in your energy bill, when you stack these habits up together they can make a real difference, and the best way to keep track of this is through your smart meter’s in-home display.”

With the National Grid ESO’s Demand Flexibility Service coming to an end for this winter on March 31st, almost two in five (39%) smart meter owners say they have taken part in initiatives like this that reward you for using less energy at certain times of the day, and almost nine in ten (89%) would take part again.

The top reasons why respondents enjoyed participating in these initiatives are being rewarded for changing their energy habits (54%), the challenge of saving energy (47%), and feeling like they are part of something bigger across the country (32%).

Victoria Bacon, from Smart Energy GB, said: “It’s clear that people across the country have a really strong sense of which energy saving habits work for them and can save them money. It’s great to see that they are finding their smart meter in-home display increasingly useful as a tool to help them manage their household finances.

“Smart meters allow you to access flexible energy schemes that offer rewards for using energy outside of peak hours of the day. If you’d like to upgrade your analogue meter to a smart meter, contact your energy supplier to find out more.”