Do you measure how much energy you’re using at home? If not, then you won't know which energy-saving changes will make the biggest impact. Measuring and monitoring your usage is key to saving money and avoiding bill shock. That’s where Loop can help!
Get the most from the free Loop app by following these simple steps during the first week and beyond. On average, Loop users cut their electricity bill by 16% and their gas by 10%. This equates to a saving of £300 on their bills and a carbon saving of 310kg CO2e per year!
Improve your ability to monitor your usage effectively, and make informed energy-saving changes - it will pay off!
STEP 1: Download Loop and explore!
STEP 2: Tune up your daily routine
STEP 3: Tackle your Phantom Load
STEP 4: Upgrade your insulation
STEP 5: Could solar work for you?
STEP 1: Download Loop and explore!
- First things first, create your free Loop account here. You’ll then be taken through some simple steps to link Loop to your smart meter.
- Once you’re up and running, go to Track view and look back at your usage. See how your home uses energy.
- Do you know how much your appliances cost to run? Go on a Loop Snoop! Turn off all your things to find your baseline usage, then look at your smart meter in-home display unit while you turn them on one by one. See what they’re costing you and decide what to leave on.
Top tip: There’s a battery in your in-home display unit, so carry it around your house with you!
Go a step further: Do some simple maths to reveal the cost of having that appliance turned on for one hour. Record this on your Loop Snoop map here. - You’ve now hunted out the biggest energy-wasting culprits in your home, good work! Are there smarter ways you could be using your things? Did you find anything switched on that didn’t need to be? Around 30% of the average energy bill comes from wasted energy.
- Did you know, LEDs use 90% less energy than halogen bulbs? Making the swap is a no-brainer! Go to Optimise Your Appliances, see how much you’re spending on your lighting and consider other changes to improve efficiency. Turning lights off when you leave a room can save you £20 a year and over-sensitive outdoor security lights could be costing you £60
Effort:💪💪
Impact: 💷💷💷🌲 🌲
Read more: LED lights: save energy and join the ‘revolution’
- Discover how much you’re spending using your washing machine, tumble dryer, and dishwasher, using our handy calculators on the Optimise Your Appliances page.
Read more: Want to better manage your home energy use? Here’s how Loop users have done it
STEP 2: Tune up your daily routine
- Time to train your energy instinct today! When you put the kettle on this morning, make sure to only fill it with the amount of water your need. Overfilling could cost you £13 over the year.
Effort: 💪
Impact: 💷🌳
- Have your shower today in eco mode. When you use your hairdryer, be mindful that it’s costing around 15p per 10-minute blow dry, equating to around £50 per year if you use it daily.
Effort: 💪
Impact: 💷🌳 - Go to Track on the Loop app and bring your energy use to life! How much does your morning routine add to your energy bill? Tap on Day to find out.
- Working from home today? You could be using 25% more electricity throughout the day than when you’re in the office. Once you’re finished, make sure to turn off your monitors and laptop charger at the plug.
Effort: 💪
Impact: 💷 💷 🌲 🌲 - You’re ready to start making dinner. If you have an air fryer, use it! Using the oven costs around £77 a year to run, around 25p per 30 minutes, whereas a 1,000W air fryer costs just 17p to run for 30 minutes.
Effort: 💪
Impact: 💷🌳 - When you’re using the dishwasher, make sure it’s a full load and remember to use the eco setting so it will use less power to heat the water. Did you know, using a dishwasher in eco mode uses less energy than washing dishes by hand?
Top tip: Dishwashers contribute to 8% of your electricity bill, with one load using around 1.5 kWh. Running it overnight will be greener as the grid is less carbon-intensive and if you have a time-of-use tariff, it would be cheaper too.
Effort: 💪
Impact: 💷🌳 - Before you go to bed, check your smart meter in-home display. How much power are you using right now? Is that what you would have expected? If not, what’s switched on that doesn’t need to be? Don’t spend whilst you sleep!
STEP 3: Tackle your Phantom Load
- Now’s the time to Slay the Phantom! Phantom Load is our name for the electricity used by appliances switched on or on standby, quietly using energy without you realising. It also applies to the things you know are on but don’t know what they’re costing - like smart speakers, and the things you switch on and forget about - like extra fridges. Wasted energy makes up around 30% of the average energy bill. Understand how much your Phantom Load is costing you by tapping on the Tick icon at the bottom of the app screen and tapping on Optimise your Phantom Load.
- Now you understand your household’s Phantom Load, take some simple steps to cut it. Start by going around your home and switching off anything that doesn’t need to be on.
Read more: Phantom Load: Understanding your hidden energy costs
STEP 4: Upgrade your insulation
- Improve your home’s insulation! It doesn’t matter what time of year it is, increasing the insulation in your home is an effective way to reduce bills and improve comfort. Check your loft to see if you have at least the recommended 27cm of insulation. If not, you can top up yourself or pay a professional to do it for you.
Effort: 💪 💪 💪
Impact: 💷 💷 🌲 🌲 - Give your radiators some attention! Bleed them and move sofas away to help heat circulate more effectively.
Effort: 💪
Impact: 💷 🌲 - Check your draft-proofing is up to scratch. The common areas to look out for are around windows, doors, and unused chimneys. Making these changes could save a typical semi £90 a year. Keep hold of the warmth you’re paying for!
Effort: 💪 💪
Impact: 💷 💷 🌲 🌲 - Did you know your boiler settings can affect how efficiently you heat your home? If you’ve got a combi boiler, turn down your flow temperature. It can save 12% on your gas bill without compromising the temperature of your home.
Effort: 💪
Impact: 💷💷 🌲
Read more: How to save money by changing one boiler setting - Get your heating schedule right. Make sure you’re not heating your home when you’re not in or heating rooms you're not using. Consider investing in a smart thermostat and smart radiator valves - they can make this simple.
Effort: 💪 💪
Impact: 💷 🌲 - With each degree you lower your thermostat, your gas use falls by 10%! Dropping from 21 degrees to 18 would save around 30% - that’s a saving of £300 for an average home.
Effort: 💪
Impact: 💷 💷 🌲
Read more: 6 ways to reduce your gas usage this winter
STEP 5: Test the impact of solar
- Could solar panels work for your home? To find out, turn on the Solar and Battery Simulator and look back at your energy usage. Using your energy data, details about your house, and weather information, see the actual difference solar power could make to your monthly bills and reliance on grid energy.
Effort: 💪 💪 💪
Impact: 💷 💷 🌲 🌲
Read more: Is solar right for me?
- Can you be self-powered for a week? Take up the challenge! Shrink those pink usage lines in Week view. Less pink + more blue and yellow = higher self-sufficiency!
- Time to explore the Solar Playground! Test how self-sufficient you could be by adding different-sized solar arrays and home battery combinations to find your optimum set-up.
STEP 6: Weekend energy-saving
- This weekend it’s time for some spring cleaning. When you’re tackling chores like vacuuming and doing the laundry, make sure they don’t spike your usage by opting for eco modes, and make sure your washing machine is fully loaded and set to 30 degrees as this uses 40% less energy than high temperatures. Also, choose natural alternatives where possible, like swapping the tumble dryer for the clothesline. This will all help to minimise the impact on your energy bill.
- With the sun shining, you decide to give your garden some TLC by mowing the lawn. Whilst you can't do much to improve the efficiency of your lawn mower, just understanding what this is costing you will help you judge the impact on your monthly bill. It will also give you the awareness to make informed decisions about how you use your things and will help you avoid bill shock at the end of the month.
- Using your hot tub? Make sure it’s positioned in a spot that’s away from the wind and cover it with a thermal cover when not in use to retain heat and reduce costs. An inflatable hot tub costs £360 a month to run!
Read more: How much is your hot tub costing you?
STEP 7: Reflect and adjust
- You’ve been using Loop for a week now, so it’s time for a test! How much do you think you spent yesterday? What about last week or last month?
- Take a moment to look back at your energy usage throughout the week. Which days were higher than others? Are there any changes you can make next week?
.jpg?width=279&height=360&name=Loop_Usage_Summary%20(1).jpg)
- Now, look at your Energy Usage Report sent in Loop’s bi-weekly email. See your last 2 weeks of electricity vs your average 2 weeks, see whether you’re a Low, Medium, or High higher compared to other households, and check how your Phantom Load compares and what it’s costing you. Comparing your usage can help you use less. It’s called the “ feedback effect” and it could help you cut your consumption by 3% alone - that’s around £75!
Read more: Compare energy use: are you a big spender? - High Phantom Load? Regardless of whether your usage is Low, Medium, or High, make sure you're not wasting energy on your Phantom Load. Find out if you have any of these culprits hiding in your home.
- If your usage is High or Medium, but your Phantom Load is Low, you're not wasting energy by leaving things on, you're just using a lot of energy! Are you aware of how much things cost to run? Go on a Loop Snoop to find out, then make informed choices about how you use those high-usage appliances.