Five Everyday Habits That Secretly Drive Up Your Energy Bills

Have you ever looked at your energy bill and just sighed? Like somehow, without warning, your household has turned into a tiny factory of heat and electricity consumption, most of the time heating the street or the house next door instead?

You’re not alone… and truth be told, some of the sneakiest bill-boosting habits are the ones we just don’t think about. Let’s take a tour through the habits that could be quietly pushing your energy costs up — and swap them for smarter, cheaper replacements.

Think of it as some life hacks you’ll want to know about.

Habit 1: Cranking the heating up “just a little bit”

We’ve all been there. It’s chilly, you live in Britain where ‘chilly’ describes 90% of the year, you turn the heating up one more degree to be “comfortable” and next thing you know, you’ve spent pounds without even realising.

Did you know? Turning the temperature up a couple of degrees costs significantly more in gas and electricity usage. And fun fact, most homes are warmer than they actually need to be.

Swap It For: Layering Up and Adjustments

Instead of turning the heating up a notch every time you feel a chill:

Throw on an extra jumper or cosy socks.
Use blankets on the sofa.
Lower the set temperature and let your body adjust.

You’ll be surprised how much heat you can keep in with just a change of clothes. Yep, this simple switch can shave off chunks of your bill over the winter (or spring given the changeable weather).

Habit 2: Letting heat escape through… everywhere!

Draughts might seem harmless, but would you believe that chilly air slipping in around your doors and windows is basically money flying out of your wallet. Heat loss through gaps and draughts can make your central heating work harder - costing you more.

Swap It For: Seal, Block & Tuck

Install draught excluders or sticky strips around doors.
Drop a towel or purpose-made seal under doors.
Close your curtains as soon as it gets dark because they trap heat in.

Small victories against draughts can make a big difference to your meter readings.

Habit 3: Relying on an electric fan heater

That little nifty fan heater feels like a lifesaver, doesn’t it? Cold bedroom? Pop it on. Working from home? Stick it under the desk. Heating not quite cutting it? Blast the fan heater for “just 20 minutes”. Except here’s the catch! Electric fan heaters are energy hungry machines. Most run at around 2kW, which means they use 2 kilowatt-hours of electricity for every hour they’re on.

And as we all know electricity is much more expensive per unit than gas. So while it feels like a small, temporary fix, running one for a couple of hours each evening can quietly add a big chunk to your bill. Nobody likes that!

Swap It For: Smarter Spot Heating

If you’re trying to heat just one room (or just yourself), try:

Wearing thermal layers and thick socks first
Using a heated throw or electric blanket (these use far less electricity than a fan heater)
Using an oil-filled electric radiator instead (these cost more to buy than a fan heater, but are much more efficient, work way better and provide much more heat!)
Closing doors to keep heat contained
Adjusting your central heating timer instead of doubling up with electric heat

Habit 4: Suboptimal washing machine usage

We wash a lot of clothes, especially all you parents out there, but did you know washing half loads still uses almost the same energy as a full washer?

Swap It For: Full & Cool Washes

Only run the machine when it’s full.
Wash at 30°C where possible. Modern detergents actually work perfectly fine at lower temps and are developed exactly for that purpose nowadays.

Small changes to laundry routines add up over time.

Habit 5: Leaving devices on standby

Ever noticed how even when your TV or games console looks “off”, a little light stays on? That’s called standby mode, and guess what, it’s costing you.

Swap It For: Full Power Off

Switch off appliances fully.
Use power strips so you can switch off multiple devices with one click.
Unplug chargers when they’re not charging.

Might not be obvious, but this one really helps and it’s really simple to do and easy to get in the habit of!

Just like knowing where to find a free cuppa while out and about, energy savings are often about being aware and making the switch. No one habit will save the world, but combined, they’ll absolutely make your meter bill a lot easier to look at!