Making your home more energy efficient doesn’t have to mean spending thousands of pounds on solar panels, new windows or a new heating system. If you’re working with a tight household budget, some of the best places to start are actually the simplest — and many cost very little or nothing at all.
From stopping cold draughts and making better use of your heating controls to changing a few everyday habits, there are plenty of practical ways to reduce wasted energy at home. Some improvements can help straight away, while others are worth considering when you have a little more money to invest.
In this guide, we’ll start with the free and low-cost changes before looking at bigger home improvements, so you can decide which energy-saving measures make the most sense for your home and your budget.
Editor’s Note: This article was updated in September 2026 to review the latest UK energy-efficiency guidance and improve the advice on EPCs, household heating, energy tariffs and financial support. Energy prices, grants and government schemes can change, so always check current official guidance before making financial decisions or committing to home improvements.
1. Check Your Home’s EPC Rating
Before spending money on improvements, it can be useful to understand how energy efficient your home already is. An Energy Performance Certificate (EPC) gives a property an energy-efficiency rating from A, the most efficient, to G, the least efficient.
Your EPC can also provide estimated energy costs and recommend improvements that could make your home more energy efficient, such as adding insulation, improving heating controls or upgrading windows.
If your home already has a valid EPC, you can check it for free using the UK Government’s online EPC register rather than paying for another assessment. EPCs are generally valid for 10 years, although you may choose to have a new assessment carried out if you’ve made significant energy-efficiency improvements since the previous one.
Don’t worry if your EPC suggests expensive upgrades that aren’t currently within your budget. Think of it as a useful starting point rather than a shopping list. Look at the recommendations alongside the potential costs and savings, then concentrate first on affordable changes that could reduce wasted energy in your particular home.
2. Stop Draughts and Heat Escaping
If you can feel cold air coming in around your windows or doors, some of the heat you’re paying for could be escaping at the same time. Draught-proofing is one of the cheapest ways to make your home more energy efficient and can also make rooms feel noticeably more comfortable during colder weather.
Start by checking around window and door frames, letterboxes, keyholes and loft hatches for unwanted gaps. Depending on where the draught is coming from, inexpensive solutions such as self-adhesive draught-proofing strips, letterbox brushes or sealant may be enough to help.
Don’t block intentional ventilation, such as air bricks, trickle vents or extractor fans. These are important for maintaining airflow and helping to prevent problems with condensation, damp and mould.
For an even cheaper fix, a traditional draught excluder along the bottom of an internal or external door can help keep warmth where you want it. Heavy curtains can also reduce the chilly feeling around windows at night — just remember to open them during daylight hours to make the most of any warmth from the sun.
3. Swap Old Light Bulbs for LEDs
If you still have traditional or halogen bulbs around your home, replacing them with LED bulbs is an easy way to reduce electricity use without changing your everyday routine.
LED bulbs use considerably less electricity than traditional incandescent bulbs and generally last much longer, making them cheaper to run over their lifetime. You don’t need to replace every bulb in the house at once, either. If you’re on a tight budget, start with the lights you use most often, such as those in the kitchen, living room and hallway, and replace the others as they eventually need changing.
When buying LEDs, look at the lumens rather than simply comparing wattage. Lumens tell you how much light the bulb produces, while wattage tells you how much power it uses. This makes it easier to choose an energy-efficient bulb without ending up with a room that’s much darker than you expected.
And, of course, the cheapest energy is the energy you don’t use. Encourage everyone to switch lights off when they leave an empty room, particularly in the parts of the house where lights have a habit of being left on.
If you’re looking for more ideas, I’ve also shared some simple home decor updates that could help you save money while making improvements around your home.
4. Use Your Heating Controls More Efficiently
Heating is one of the biggest areas of energy use in many UK homes, so getting to grips with your heating controls can make a real difference to how much energy you use.
Start by checking your thermostat rather than automatically turning the heating up when the weather gets colder. If your home feels comfortable at a slightly lower temperature, reducing the thermostat can cut the amount of energy needed to heat it. However, comfort and health should always come first, particularly in households with babies, older people or anyone with a health condition that makes them more vulnerable to the cold.
If your heating system has a programmer or timer, set it around the times your family actually needs the house to be warm rather than heating an empty home unnecessarily. Many modern heating systems and smart thermostats also allow you to create schedules for different days of the week.
Thermostatic radiator valves (TRVs) can give you more control over individual rooms. For example, a bedroom or spare room may not need to be kept as warm as the living room you’re using throughout the evening.
Before buying new technology, though, spend a little time learning how your existing heating controls work. You may already have timers, schedules or temperature settings you’re not making full use of, making this one energy-saving change that could cost you nothing at all.
5. Make Better Use of Your Radiators
Before spending money upgrading your heating system, make sure the radiators you already have can heat your rooms effectively.
Try not to block radiators with large pieces of furniture such as sofas, as this can prevent warm air from circulating freely around the room. Long curtains hanging directly over a radiator can also trap heat behind them rather than allowing it to warm the room.
If a radiator feels cold at the top while the bottom is warm, it may have trapped air inside and need bleeding. If several radiators aren’t heating properly or you regularly need to bleed them, however, it may be worth having your heating system checked rather than assuming this is normal.
It’s also worth keeping radiators reasonably clean and dust-free, particularly between the panels and around any convector fins, so that air can circulate freely.
Radiator reflector panels can be another relatively inexpensive option, particularly for radiators fitted to uninsulated external walls. They are designed to reflect heat back towards the room rather than allowing as much to escape through the wall. However, they aren’t necessary for every home, so concentrate on fixing obvious draughts and insulation problems first if your budget is limited.
6. Use Household Appliances More Efficiently
You don’t need to stop using the appliances that make family life easier to save energy. Instead, look for small ways to use them more efficiently.
Run your washing machine and dishwasher with full loads where possible rather than regularly washing just a few items. For everyday laundry, washing at 30°C is often enough, provided the care labels and washing instructions allow it. Eco programmes can also use less energy, even though they often take longer to complete.
Tumble dryers can be expensive appliances to run, so drying clothes outside when the weather allows is an easy way to save energy. During colder or wetter months, be careful about drying large amounts of washing indoors without adequate ventilation, as the extra moisture can contribute to condensation and damp.
In the kitchen, match the size of your saucepan to the hob, keep lids on pans where appropriate and only boil as much water in the kettle as you actually need. For smaller portions, appliances such as a microwave or air fryer may sometimes use less energy than heating a full-sized oven, depending on what you’re cooking.
You can also check whether appliances such as televisions, games consoles and computers are being left running unnecessarily. You don’t need to obsess over every plug socket in the house, but switching off devices that aren’t being used is a simple habit that can help reduce wasted electricity.
When an appliance eventually needs replacing, consider its energy label and running costs alongside the purchase price. There’s rarely a good financial reason to replace a perfectly functioning appliance purely to buy a more energy-efficient model, but efficiency is worth considering when you were going to replace it anyway.
7. Improve Your Home’s Insulation
Good insulation helps your home hold on to heat for longer, which means your heating system doesn’t have to work as hard to maintain a comfortable temperature. Some insulation projects require a significant investment, but there are smaller areas you can check before spending a lot of money.
Start with your loft. If you have access to it, check whether insulation is already present and whether there are any obvious gaps. Don’t automatically add more without checking what you already have and whether additional insulation is suitable for your property.
Your loft hatch itself can also be an overlooked source of heat loss. Adding suitable insulation to the hatch and draught-proofing around its edges can be a relatively inexpensive DIY improvement.
Elsewhere in the home, thermal curtains or blinds can help reduce the feeling of cold around windows, while rugs can make rooms with hard floors feel warmer underfoot. These won’t replace proper wall, floor or loft insulation, but they can help make your home feel more comfortable when larger improvements aren’t currently within your budget.
If you’re considering professional insulation, such as cavity wall, solid wall or underfloor insulation, get advice about what is appropriate for your particular property before going ahead. The right solution will depend on factors including how your home was built, its existing insulation and its ventilation.
8. Check Whether You Qualify for Help With Energy-Efficiency Improvements
Before paying for a major energy-efficiency improvement yourself, it’s worth checking whether you qualify for financial help. Government-funded schemes can change, so don’t assume that a grant you’ve heard about in the past is still available.
In England, the Warm Homes: Local Grant can provide free energy-saving improvements for some lower-income households living in privately owned or privately rented homes with an EPC rating of D to G. Depending on your home and eligibility, improvements could include insulation, heating controls, solar panels or an air source heat pump.
Some households may also be able to receive improvements through the Energy Company Obligation (ECO4), which requires energy suppliers to help improve the energy efficiency of eligible homes.
Your local council can also be a useful place to check for current support available in your area. Rather than responding to an unexpected call or advert promising “free insulation” or a government grant, start with GOV.UK, Ofgem, your local authority or your energy supplier and check the eligibility requirements yourself.
Schemes, funding and eligibility criteria change, so always check the latest official guidance before applying or committing to any work.
9. Check Whether You’re Still on the Right Energy Tariff
Switching energy supplier used to be one of the standard pieces of money-saving advice, but it’s no longer as simple as assuming that moving to another company will automatically give you a cheaper energy bill.
Instead, check which tariff you’re currently on and compare it with the deals available both from your existing supplier and elsewhere. Look at the unit rates for gas and electricity, daily standing charges and any exit fees rather than comparing estimated monthly payments alone.
It’s also worth considering whether a fixed or variable tariff suits your household. A fixed tariff can give you more certainty over the rates you’ll pay for a set period, but that doesn’t necessarily mean it will work out cheaper. If energy prices fall while you’re fixed, you could end up paying more than you would have on a variable tariff.
If you’re considering switching, use reputable comparison services and check more than one if possible, as they may not all show exactly the same tariffs.
Don’t forget to check when your existing fixed deal ends, either. If you’re approaching the end of a tariff, it’s a good opportunity to compare your options rather than simply allowing your account to roll onto another tariff without checking what you’ll pay.
10. Consider Bigger Energy-Efficiency Improvements When Your Budget Allows
Once you’ve tackled the free and low-cost changes, you may eventually want to consider larger improvements that could make your home more energy efficient in the long term. If you’re planning improvements more generally, you might also find my guide to smart home upgrades that can improve comfort and value useful when deciding which changes are worth prioritising.
Depending on your property, these might include upgrading loft, wall or floor insulation, replacing inefficient single-glazed windows, installing solar panels or changing the way you heat your home.
The important thing is not to assume that the most expensive improvement will automatically give you the best return. A home that loses a lot of heat through poorly insulated walls or a loft, for example, may benefit from improving its insulation before investing in a new heating system.
Solar panels can reduce the amount of electricity you need to buy from the grid, but how suitable they are will depend on factors such as your roof, shading and how and when your household uses electricity. Similarly, heat pumps can be an energy-efficient way to heat a home, but the system needs to be properly designed and suitable for the property.
If solar is one of the bigger improvements you’re considering, my guide to getting solar panel quotes explains what to look at before choosing an installer and why it’s worth comparing several quotes.
Replacing old single glazing with energy-efficient glazing can reduce heat loss and make your home feel more comfortable, but new windows are a significant expense. If your existing windows are still in good condition, cheaper measures such as draught-proofing, thermal curtains or secondary glazing may be worth investigating first.
If you’re wondering whether upgrading your windows could be worthwhile, I’ve looked more closely at how energy-efficient windows can help reduce heat loss and improve comfort at home.
Before committing thousands of pounds to any major improvement, get advice that takes your individual property into account, compare quotes and check whether financial support is available. Your EPC recommendations can also provide a useful starting point when deciding which improvements to prioritise.
Making your home more energy efficient doesn’t need to happen all at once. Start with the changes you can comfortably afford now and treat larger improvements as longer-term projects when your budget allows.
What Should You Do First to Make Your Home More Energy Efficient?
With so many different ways to save energy at home, it can be difficult to know where to start — particularly when money is tight. You don’t need to tackle everything at once. Start with the free changes, deal with obvious areas of wasted energy and work your way up to larger improvements as your budget allows.
| Your budget | Where to start |
|---|---|
| £0 | Learn how to use your heating controls properly, turn off lights and unused devices, avoid overfilling the kettle, use appliances efficiently and adjust your thermostat to the lowest temperature that’s comfortable for your household. |
| Under £20 | Look for inexpensive draught-proofing around doors and windows, fit a letterbox draught excluder where needed and replace frequently used old bulbs with LEDs. |
| £20–£50 | Consider additional LED bulbs, suitable radiator reflector panels, a hot water cylinder jacket if yours needs more insulation, or other targeted draught-proofing measures. |
| £50–£200 | Look at larger DIY improvements that are suitable for your home, or put the money towards addressing a particular source of heat loss you’ve identified. |
| More to invest | Consider professional insulation, improved heating controls, energy-efficient glazing, solar panels or a more efficient heating system, depending on what your property actually needs. |
If you’re not sure where your money will have the greatest impact, check your EPC and look around your home for the most obvious areas of heat loss or wasted energy first.
A draughty front door may be a much better place to spend £20 than buying an energy-saving gadget you don’t really need. Likewise, there’s little point investing in expensive technology simply because it’s marketed as energy efficient if a cheaper improvement could make a bigger difference to your particular home.
The aim isn’t to create the perfect energy-efficient home overnight. It’s to make sensible improvements in the right order, helping you use less energy without putting unnecessary pressure on your household budget.
Don’t Forget About Hot Water
Heating your home isn’t the only place you can reduce energy use. Heating water for showers, baths and taps also contributes to household energy bills, so a few small changes can make a difference without affecting your comfort too much.
One of the simplest places to start is in the shower. Spending less time showering means using less hot water and therefore less energy to heat it. If you have children who tend to disappear into the bathroom for ages, setting a timer or using a favourite song as a rough shower timer can make saving energy feel less like another household rule.
Try not to leave hot taps running unnecessarily when washing or cleaning, and only use hot water when you actually need it. If you have a suitable shower, a water-efficient shower head or tap aerators can also reduce the amount of hot water you use.
If your home has a hot water cylinder, check whether it is properly insulated. An insulating jacket can reduce the amount of heat escaping from the stored water, while insulating accessible hot water pipes can also help reduce heat loss.
These aren’t dramatic home improvements, but they’re another example of how several small changes around the house can add up without requiring a large upfront investment.
Small Changes Can Make Your Home More Energy Efficient
Making your home more energy efficient doesn’t have to involve an expensive renovation or buying the latest energy-saving technology. When you’re working with a tight budget, it makes sense to start with the changes that cost little or nothing and build from there.
Learning how to use your heating controls effectively, stopping unnecessary draughts, switching to LED lighting, reducing wasted hot water and using household appliances more efficiently can all help you use less energy at home. As your budget allows, you can then look at bigger improvements such as insulation, energy-efficient glazing, solar panels or upgrading your heating system.
Every home is different, so concentrate on the improvements that make sense for your property rather than feeling you need to do everything on this list. Your EPC can be a useful starting point, and there is official advice available if you’re unsure which improvements to prioritise.
Ultimately, creating a more energy-efficient home is about making sensible changes that work for your family, your property and your finances. Start small, tackle one thing at a time and let those improvements add up.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the cheapest way to make your home more energy efficient?
Start with improvements that cost nothing or very little. Use your heating controls effectively, turn off lights and appliances when they’re not needed, reduce wasted hot water and check your home for draughts. Low-cost improvements such as draught-proofing and replacing old light bulbs with LEDs can be tackled gradually. Before spending money on bigger upgrades, check your EPC to identify where your particular home could benefit most.
How can I keep my house warm without spending lots of money?
Start by keeping the heat you already produce inside your home. Close curtains at night, use draught excluders around doors where needed and seal unwanted gaps around windows without blocking essential ventilation. Keep furniture and long curtains away from radiators so warm air can circulate properly.
Use your heating controls to warm the rooms you use when you need them rather than overheating the whole house. Simple measures such as rugs on cold hard floors, thermal curtains and checking your loft hatch for draughts can also make your home feel warmer without the cost of major renovations.
Does turning the thermostat down save money?
Yes. If you can comfortably reduce your room thermostat, your heating system will use less energy maintaining the lower temperature, which can reduce your heating costs.
Rather than aiming for a particular temperature purely to save money, set your thermostat to the lowest temperature that feels comfortable for your household. Even reducing it by 1°C can make a difference to energy use.
Turning the thermostat higher won’t make your home warm up faster — it simply means the heating will continue running until the room reaches the higher temperature. If anyone in your household is particularly vulnerable to the cold, their comfort and health should always take priority over reducing energy use.
Is it cheaper to leave the heating on all day?
If you have a traditional boiler, it’s generally more energy efficient to heat your home when you need it rather than leaving the heating running all day. Use your timer or programmer to match your family’s routine so you’re not unnecessarily heating an empty home.
Your thermostat will then help maintain the temperature you’ve chosen while the heating is scheduled to be on.
Heat pumps work differently. They usually operate most efficiently by heating a home gradually for longer periods at lower temperatures, so repeatedly switching a heat pump on and off isn’t usually the best approach. If you have a heat pump, follow the settings recommended for your particular system rather than treating it like a gas or oil boiler.
What wastes the most energy in a home?
Heating and hot water account for a large proportion of energy use in many UK homes, which is why reducing heat loss and using your heating controls effectively are good places to start.
Everyday habits can also waste energy unnecessarily. Heating an empty home, leaving devices running when they’re not being used, frequently running half-full washing machines or dishwashers, overfilling the kettle and using a tumble dryer when clothes could be dried naturally can all add to household energy use.
Rather than worrying about one particular appliance, look at the bigger picture. Concentrate first on heating and hot water, then look for smaller areas of wasted energy throughout your family’s everyday routine.
Can I get a grant to make my home more energy efficient?
You may be able to get financial help towards energy-efficiency improvements, depending on your household circumstances, where you live and your property’s EPC rating.
In England, schemes such as the Warm Homes: Local Grant can provide eligible households with improvements including insulation, heating controls, solar panels and air source heat pumps. Other support may also be available through energy suppliers or your local authority.
Energy-efficiency schemes and their eligibility criteria can change, so check the latest information on GOV.UK, Ofgem or your local council’s website rather than relying on an older list of grants. It’s always worth checking what help is available before paying for a major home improvement yourself.