Save energy, cut household bills 40 practical tips
Concrete actions for households when oil and gas prices spike. Sorted by category, with product picks and weekly savings estimates.
Four areas, ready to act
Pick a category or scroll to the most-read tips.
Most-read tips
The levers with the biggest weekly impact.

Eco-driving: look ahead and save 10 percent
Shift up early, coast, brake ahead: eco-driving cuts fuel use by 8 to 15 percent.
$9-16 per week
Tire pressure: check every four weeks
0.3 bar below spec raises fuel use by up to 2 percent. Check every four weeks.
$4-7 per week
Thermostat 1 degree down: 6 percent less heating
Each degree lower cuts heating energy by about 6 percent.
$9-16 per week
Short full-open airing instead of tilted windows
Five minutes of cross-ventilation swap the air without cooling walls.
$3-8 per week
LED instead of halogen: 85 percent less power
A 7 W LED replaces a 60 W halogen at the same brightness.
$3-7 per week
Kill standby consumption
Standby averages 8 percent of annual household electricity.
$3-9 per week
Shop seasonal and local
Seasonal local produce often costs a third of imported.
$7-14 per week
Stock the pantry cleverly
Buy on offer and store long to smooth the weekly budget.
$5-11 per weekAll 40 tips at a glance
Complete list of all saving tips, sorted by category.
Mobility
- Eco-driving: look ahead and save 10 percent
- Tire pressure: check every four weeks
- Carpool: split fuel costs three ways
- E-bike instead of car for sub-10 km trips
- Low-rolling-resistance tires: up to 6 percent fuel saving
- Remove roof box and rack when not in use
- Smart routes: avoid jams and red lights
- Turn off engine when stopped over 30 seconds
- Public transit: check the monthly pass
- Car-sharing instead of second car
Heating
- Thermostat 1 degree down: 6 percent less heating
- Short full-open airing instead of tilted windows
- Bleed radiators before heating season
- Keep radiators clear, no furniture in front
- Close blinds at sunset
- Check door and window seals
- Reflector foil behind radiator
- Thermal curtains at night
- Cap hot water at 55 degrees Celsius
- Low-flow showerhead: half the water and hot water
Electricity
- LED instead of halogen: 85 percent less power
- Kill standby consumption
- Switched power strip per device group
- Fridge at 7 C, freezer at -18 C
- Defrost freezer regularly
- Run dishwasher only when full
- Wash laundry at 30 degrees
- Smart thermostat: schedule per room
- Electric kettle instead of stove for hot water
- Convection instead of top and bottom heat
Shopping
- Shop seasonal and local
- Stock the pantry cleverly
- Meal prep: two Sunday hours, budget locked
- Compare unit price, not pack price
- Cook from scratch, skip ready meals
- Frozen vegetables instead of wilted fresh
- Bake your own bread
- Less meat, more legumes
- Shopping list app before every trip
- Tap water over bottled water
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