Over filling kettle costs UK households £600m a year

The Energy Saving Trust is urging Britons to follow three simple tips to save water and energy, without impacting on their lifestyle. It maintains that an average UK household could save £22 on their energy bills each year, with metered households saving an additional £13 on their water bills.

This can easily be achieved, says the Trust, by consumers showering using an eco-shower head, washing clothes at 30C and boiling only the water needed. Following these simple tips, the country could save around £600 m a year on its energy bills, it maintains.

The findings come from a report , At Home with Water, commissioned by the Energy Saving Trust Foundation in partnership with DEFRA, Procter & Gamble, Thames Water, Consumer Council for Water and SaveWaterSaveMoney.

Showers are the biggest consumers of water in the home, using a quarter of the total – three per cent more than lavatories (22%).

Andrew Tucker, water strategy manager at Energy Saving Trust, said: “When people think of energy use they think of heating and lighting, running electrical appliances or filling the car with petrol. It’s all too easy to turn on the tap and not think about the consequences.

“But there is an environmental and energy cost attached to water which many people do not consider. On average, hot water use contributes £228 to the average annual combined energy bill.
“It’s clear that we are all using more water-consuming appliances regularly, especially showers, but that doesn’t mean we’re powerless to control our water use.

“By reducing the amount of water – especially hot water – that we use, we can cut down on the energy demands of our lifestyles, which have changed radically over the last 50 years. Following three simple steps from the Energy Saving Trust will help reduce the energy and water bills of consumers – and stop their money spiralling down the plughole.”

Picture credit: © Kirsty Pargeter | Dreamstime Stock Photos