Saving energy at home could help you to tackle rising energy prices by providing a significant cost saving. You could save on average £250 per year on energy bills and around 1.5 tonnes of carbon dioxide by taking simple measures.

If your home was built from 1920 onwards, the chances are that its external walls are made of two layers with a small gap or `cavity' between them.

This means they are `cavity walls'. Around a third of all the heat lost in an un-insulated home is lost through the walls. Cavity wall insulation is a fantastic way to significantly reduce the amount of energy you need to heat your home and could save you around £110 a year on your fuel bills.

For more information about cavity wall insulation or to find our more detail and find a registered local installer call your local Energy Saving Trust advice centre on 0800 512 012 or follow this link>>

Insulating your solid walls can reduce heat loss and can save you around £375 a year on your fuel bills. Solid walls can be insulated in two different ways: with internal insulation (from the inside) or external insulation (from the outside).

For more information about solid wall insulation and to find a registered local installer please call your local Energy Saving Trust advice centre on 0800 512 012 or follow this link>>

For more information about loft insulation and to find a registered local installer call your local Energy Saving Trust advice centre on 0800 512 012 or follow this link>>

You’ll find draughts at any accidental gap in your home that leads outside. The most common places can be found around windows, doors, loft hatches, suspended floorboards and pipework leading outside.

For more information about draught proofing call your local Energy Saving Trust advice centre on 0800 512 012 or follow this link >>

Insulating your hot water cylinder is one of the simplest and easiest ways to save energy and money.

Fitting a British Standard 'jacket' around your cylinder will cut heat loss by over 75% (save you around £35 per year on energy bills) and is a straightforward DIY job. If you already have a jacket fitted, check that it's at least 75mm thick.

Pipe insulation will keep your water hotter for longer by reducing the amount of heat that escapes, this is easy if pipes are accessible however professional help may be required to fit insulation to harder to reach pipework.

For more information about tanks and pipe insulation call your local Energy Saving Trust advice centre on 0800 512 012 or follow this link>>

Boilers account for around 60% of what you spend in a year on energy bills, so getting an efficient boiler can make a big difference.

Whether you are having a boiler installed for the first time or are replacing an existing one, there is advice and information available from the Energy Saving Trust>>

• Replace lightbulbs with energy saving lightbulbs
• Arrange to get any dripping taps fixed
• Tape polythene across your window frames during the winter months. This is a cheaper alternative to double-glazing but should be used as short-term solution.
• Place silver foil behind your radiators to reflect heat back into each room.
• Set the thermostat on your hot water cylinder to 60°C.
• Reducing your room temperature by 1°C could cut your heating bills by up to 10 percent and typically saves around £50 per year.
• Make sure any air vents are clear from blockages.
• Turn off the light when you have left a room.
• Close internal doors behind you to prevent draughts.
• Don’t leave appliances such as televisions, games consoles, laptops and computers on standby. Switch them off at the mains wherever possible.
• Don't leave mobile phone chargers on after they have fully charged up.
• Draw your curtains at dusk to stop heat escaping through the windows and open them again in the morning to allow light back into the room.
• Have a shower instead of a bath. Showers use a lot less water than a bath.
• Don’t wash your hands under a running tap; always put the plug in the basin.
• When using your kettle, only boil the amount of water you actually need but make sure you cover the element.
• Choose the right size pot or pan and keep the lid on top, which will keep the heat in and shorten the cooking time.
• Ensure warm food cools down before placing it in the fridge.
• Defrost your fridge and freezer compartments on a regular basis.
• Always use a full-load in your washing machine or an economy setting if you need to use a half-load.
• Don’t put really wet clothes into a tumble dryer; wherever possible wring them out and dry them on washing line.