Practical energy saving tips for bedrooms 

With the UK’s energy price cap rising by 54% from April 2022, household energy bills will increase by hundreds of pounds per year. 

The worst may also be yet to come, with another Ofgem price cap review scheduled for October.  

This will increase the price cap, considering the rising cost of wholesale gas and electricity, which is sky-rocketing. 

Suffice to say, when it comes to saving energy and money on your bills, every little bit helps, and your bedroom is an excellent place to start. 

Here are some practical energy-saving tips for bedrooms. 

Heat your bedroom efficiently 

Central heating is inefficient to heat a bedroom, even with a smart thermostat. 

It gets the job done, but it also heats the other rooms in your home. Now we know what you’re thinking – a-ha! I can turn off all the other radiators – but you are still booting up the boiler, which consumes a lot of energy. 

Plus, you consume water, adding to your water bills. 

Here are more efficient ways to heat your bedroom: 

*Electric radiator: An free-standing electric radiator that plugs into a 3-pin socket costs around 50p per night to run, or around 8p per hour. 

*Fan heater: A small fan heater costs around 15p per hour to run but outputs more direct heat than a radiator, heating your bedroom faster. 

*Hairdryer: No word of a lie; if you need to heat your bedroom by a few degrees, turn your hairdryer on for five minutes. It works! 

Replace with a thick quilt

For people who feel cold during the night, they should choose more silk comforters. Theoretically, log ratings determine the warmth of silk duvets. Duvets using a larger tog value will be more designed for cooler winter days

Insulate your door to stop heat from escaping 

A cold hallway will suck warm air from your bedroom like a Dyson sucks up dust. You can stop this just by insulating your door. 

How do you insulate a bedroom door? With these: 

*Draught excluder for the bottom of the door 

*Brush seals for the edges of the door 

*Sticky foam strips to plug the gap between door and frame 

Keeping heat in your bedroom longer means heating your bedroom less often, reducing your energy consumption. 

Simples! 

Reduce heat loss through windows 

Even if your bedroom windows are double glazed, you can significantly reduce heat loss by creating a barrier between the window and warm air. 

The simplest way is with thermal curtains. Drawing thermal curtains will trap heat in your bedroom and stop warm air from pouring into your windows. 

You can also get thermal blinds and pair these with thermal curtains. Blinds have the advantage of letting you tilt light into your bedroom. 

Also, look for gaps between window joints and ensure the windows are sealed. If you find any cold spots, try and determine why they are there. 

Switch to LED light bulbs 

LED light bulbs are the most efficient light bulbs on the market, using 25-40% less energy than the best CFL energy-saving light bulbs. 

The downside to LED light bulbs is they are more expensive, offsetting initial savings, but you have to look at the long game – LED bulbs last around 50,000 hours, while CFLs only manage 8,000 hours on average. LED bulbs are not 5x more expensive than CFLs, but they last 5x longer, making them cheaper in the long run.    

Switch to lower wattage light bulbs  

In addition to LED light bulbs, you can also reduce the wattage. Lower wattage means less light, but it also means less energy consumption. 

Admittedly, the energy savings are minimal, but it could shave up to £30 off your annual energy bill throughout your home. 

To counteract less light from lower wattage bulbs, put more mirrors in your bedroom and paint your bedroom light colours to reflect light. 

Consider a memory foam mattress 

Memory foam mattresses are squishy and comfortable, but did you also know they are also excellent at trapping heat? 

Indeed, the poor breathability of memory foam makes it a heat sink. The good news is you can get memory foam mattresses with breathable top layers, so you don’t sweat. 

The idea is to make your bed warmer, so you don’t have to heat your bedroom. Ultimately, the best way to save energy is to use less of it.