New Year Energy Resolution: Cut Your Bills by £500 in 2026
The average Lancashire household spends around £1,900 a year on gas and electricity. With a few smart changes spread across the year, cutting £500 off that total is entirely achievable without making yourself uncomfortable or spending a fortune. Here is a month-by-month plan that any homeowner in Lancashire can follow, starting right now.
January: Switch to the Cheapest Tariff (Save an estimated £100-£200)
If you are on your energy supplier’s standard variable tariff, you are almost certainly paying more than you need to. Fixed-rate deals from suppliers like Octopus Energy, Ovo, and EDF are often 5% to 10% cheaper than the energy price cap rate.
Switching takes about five minutes online and could save you £100 to £200 over the year. Use a comparison tool to check current deals. Pay particular attention to exit fees on fixed contracts and check what happens to your rate when the contract ends.
For Lancashire homeowners with Economy 7 or other time-of-use meters, make sure you are actually using most of your electricity during the cheap rate period. If your habits have changed since you signed up, a single-rate tariff might be cheaper overall.
February: Fix Your Heating Schedule (Save an estimated £60-£100)
February is typically the coldest month in Lancashire, with temperatures in Burnley, Rossendale, and the Ribble Valley regularly dropping below freezing overnight. This is when heating bills peak, so getting your schedule right matters most now.
Most households heat their homes for far longer than necessary. Try setting your heating to come on 30 minutes before you wake up and switch off 30 minutes before you leave. Do the same in the evening – on 30 minutes before you arrive home, off 30 minutes before bed. The house retains heat longer than most people think, especially in well-insulated homes.
Dropping your thermostat by just one degree, from 21 to 20 degrees, saves roughly 10% on your heating bill. For a Lancashire home spending £1,000 a year on gas, that is £100 saved from one small adjustment.
March: Tackle the Draughts (Save an estimated £40-£60)
Spring is ideal for draught-proofing because the weather is mild enough to work with doors and windows open. Many Lancashire homes, particularly the Victorian and Edwardian terraces found across Preston, Blackburn, and the East Lancashire towns, have gaps around doors, windows, and floorboards that let cold air pour in during winter.
Self-adhesive foam strip for doors and windows costs £5 to £15 from any hardware shop. A brush strip for the bottom of your front door costs around £8. Silicone sealant for gaps around window frames is £3 to £5 per tube. Total spend: under £30. Total saving: £40 to £60 per year research suggests.
Pay special attention to the letterbox, keyhole, and cat flap if you have one. These are often the biggest draught sources and the easiest to fix with brush covers or flap replacements.
April: Get a Smart Meter and Monitor It (Save an estimated £50-£80)
Every UK household is entitled to a free smart meter from their energy supplier. The meter itself does not save you money, but the in-home display that comes with it absolutely can. Research shows households that actively watch their in-home display save an estimated £50 to £100 per year by spotting wasteful habits.
Put the display somewhere visible – your kitchen counter is perfect. Watch what happens to your electricity reading when you boil the kettle, run the tumble dryer, or leave the TV on standby. You will quickly learn which appliances cost the most to run and adjust your usage accordingly.
North West suppliers typically have short wait times for smart meter installation. Most can book you in within two to four weeks.
May: Switch Off Standby Appliances (Save an estimated £50-£70)
The average UK home wastes £50 to £70 a year powering appliances left on standby. That includes TVs, games consoles, phone chargers, microwaves with digital clocks, and anything with a glowing LED light.
You do not need to crawl behind furniture to switch off every socket. A smart plug strip costs £15 to £25 and lets you turn off a group of appliances with one switch or even schedule them to power down at night. Put your TV, set-top box, and games console on one strip. Your computer, monitor, and printer on another.
The biggest standby culprits are games consoles (especially in download mode), desktop computers, and set-top boxes. A PlayStation or Xbox left in rest mode can use 10W to 15W continuously, costing £20 to £30 per year on its own.
June to August: Use Your Appliances Wisely (Save an estimated £40-£60)
Summer is when your electricity bill is highest relative to gas, so focus on reducing electrical waste. Wash clothes at 30 degrees instead of 40 – modern detergents work just as well at lower temperatures. Use the eco cycle on your dishwasher. Dry clothes on a line or airer instead of the tumble dryer whenever possible.
Lancashire summers can be unpredictable, but most weeks between June and August offer enough dry, breezy days to air-dry your washing outdoors. If you have a garden or yard in any of the terraced streets across Burnley, Nelson, or Great Harwood, even a small rotary line makes a difference. A tumble dryer costs roughly 60p to £1 per cycle, so avoiding three loads a week may save an estimated £80 to £150 over the summer months.
Only boil the water you need. Filling a full kettle when you only need one cup wastes energy. An eco kettle or simply paying attention to the water level saves around £15 to £25 per year.
September: Bleed Your Radiators Before Heating Season (Save an estimated £20-£40)
Before you switch the heating on for the first time, bleed every radiator in your home. Air trapped in the system stops hot water from circulating properly, meaning your boiler works harder to heat the house.
You need a radiator key (available from any hardware shop for under £1) and a cloth. Turn on your heating, wait for the radiators to warm up, then use the key to open the valve at the top corner of each radiator. When water starts coming out instead of air, close the valve. The whole process takes about 10 minutes for a typical three-bedroom home.
While you are at it, check that no furniture is blocking your radiators. A sofa pushed up against a radiator absorbs heat that should be warming the room. Pull furniture at least 10cm away from radiators for proper heat circulation.
October to December: Layer Up and Use Zones (Save an estimated £80-£120)
As autumn arrives and Lancashire temperatures drop, heating becomes your biggest expense again. Use thermostatic radiator valves (TRVs) to create temperature zones in your home. Keep the living room and kitchen at 19 to 21 degrees, bedrooms at 16 to 18 degrees, and turn radiators off in unused rooms.
A set of TRVs for a three-bedroom home costs £40 to £80 if you fit them yourself, or £80 to £150 if you hire a plumber. They save an estimated £60 to £100 per year by preventing you from heating rooms you are not using.
Keep curtains open during the day to let sunlight warm your rooms, and close them as soon as it gets dark to trap heat. Thick, lined curtains can reduce heat loss through windows by up to 15%. If you have single-glazed windows (common in older Lancashire homes), thermal curtains are an affordable alternative to full double glazing.
Your Total Savings for 2026
Adding up the conservative estimates from each month gives a total saving of £440 to £730 per year. Even if you only manage the easier changes, hitting £500 is realistic for most Lancashire households. None of these measures require spending more than a few pounds upfront, and most are completely free.
The key is consistency. Pick one change per month, make it a habit, and move on to the next. By the end of 2026, your energy bills will be noticeably lower and your home will be more comfortable too.
What is the single biggest change to cut energy bills?
Switching to a cheaper energy tariff. If you have never switched supplier or are on a standard variable tariff, this alone could save an estimated £100 to £200 per year. It takes five minutes and costs nothing.
Do smart thermostats really save money?
Yes, but only if you use them properly. A smart thermostat like Nest, Hive, or Tado may save an estimated £60 to £150 per year by learning your schedule and heating your home only when needed. The investment (£150 to £250 installed) pays for itself within one to two heating seasons.
Are these tips suitable for Lancashire flats and apartments?
Most of these tips work for any home type. Tariff switching, standby reduction, draught-proofing, and smart meter monitoring are all relevant for flat dwellers. Some tips like bleeding radiators may not apply if you are on a communal heating system. Adjustments to thermostats and curtains are universal.
