How to understand your home energy usage and save on bills

Even as we celebrate the return of spring, the cost of energy remains at the front of people’s worries. The conflict in Iran is causing huge spikes in the cost of oil and gas, with energy providers already pulling certain tariffs from their offerings. When things feel uncertain like this, the best thing you can do is look at what it is you can understand and control.

In this blog, we go into the key energy-saving steps to take to better understand and manage your energy usage. It’s time to take the confusion out of energy and start to save on energy bills efficiently, so that you’re better insulated from any market shocks.

Quick links you can jump straight into:
Step one: understand how you use energy
Visibility is everything
How to get a smart meter in-home display
Smart meter energy app
Step two: think about your personal circumstance
Four things you need to consider when saving energy

Step one: understand how you use energy

You want to save energy in the home, but you’re unsure of where to even start. Do you run around and flip all the lights off? Do you try to turn your thermostat down to near-freezing levels? The short answer to these is NO. 

Finding ways to reduce your energy consumption is on everyone’s mind, even as we exit winter. But by jumping straight to switching things off, many are missing out on a crucial first step: understanding how you use energy in the home.

Ask yourself: do you know when and where you’re using the most energy? 

These are big questions, and it’s not easy to figure these out on your own with a pen and paper. It’s much simpler to use smart technology to do the thinking for you, and help you get to grips with your energy usage.

A smart meter, in-home display and the free the ivie smart meter app are all you need. 

“No two homes use energy in the same way. The best way to start saving is to take stock of account your energy usage – without a baseline, it’s hard to make the right decisions for you and your home.”
Gergana Dineva, Head of Product Marketing, ivie 

Visibility is everything

In-home displays, smart meter monitors or energy monitors – whatever you call them, it’s all the same thing! ​​An in-home display (IHD) lets you see how much energy you’re using right now and how much it’s costing you in pounds and pence. 

Rather than waiting weeks (or even months) to find out that you’ve used an extortionate amount of energy, real-time energy data will help you spot when you’re using too much. Notice how your energy use fluctuates throughout the day, weeks and seasons, so you can make smarter decisions.

Don’t wait around for energy bill shock. Understand your energy-using habits and behaviours in real time – having accurate visibility of your energy use might be a bit shocking at first, but without understanding your baseline you’ll find it hard to reduce your bills.

How to get an in-home display

Chameleon Technology is the creator of ivie and has delivered over 12 million IHDs through major energy suppliers. Over time, in-home displays can get broken or go missing, meaning a lot of homes end up living without one. 

💡 ivie tip:  If your current smart meter display breaks or goes missing in the first 12 months, you’ll be able to get a free replacement under warranty from your energy supplier.

If you can’t get a replacement from your energy supplier, you can get an ivie Bud. The ivie Bud is the latest Wi-Fi-ready IHD that works with all energy suppliers, and is perfect for homes looking to reduce their energy usage. 

Smart meter energy app

Saving on your energy bills doesn’t end with a smart meter in-home display. Pair it with the free ivie app for instant access to where you’re consuming energy in the home.

The ivie app breaks down your energy usage by activity, so you can see which areas of the home are the most energy-hungry. As the ivie app learns your energy habits, it’ll create personalised energy-saving challenges and give you estimated savings for your bills.

You can also connect the ivie Bud display to see your usage by the second, so you can make spot-on decisions on the spot. The ivie app works without an ivie Bud too, but your data will be delayed by a day or so.

Tap into the ivie app to find out what you’re using – explore the savings you could make here. 

“The more information you have, the more accurately you’ll be able to work out the potential savings of any improvements you make. You don’t need huge amounts of data to get started – a few key pieces of information from the ivie app will go a long way.”
Kyle Brown, Chief Commercial Officer, ivie

Step two: Think about your personal circumstances 

You’ve now got the smart technology and a base knowledge about how you use energy in the home – but there are still a few extra things you need to consider.

Your energy usage will naturally change through days, weeks and months – heating and lighting are essential in winter, while your fridge works overtime in summer. All of this affects your energy-savings journey.

You need to factor in your budget, lifestyle, property type and, most importantly, your well-being needs. 

4 things you need to consider when saving energy:

    1. Your Budget 

Can you invest in additional energy-saving technology or do you need energy-saving tips that fit a tight budget?

    2. Your energy-saving habits

Are there certain things you depend on to get by? Make sure to rule out things that can’t be sacrificed to cut costs.

    3. Your home insulation

Is your home well insulated? Poor insulation is a leading factor behind high energy bills. So it’s crucial to look at your current insulation before investing in other home improvements.

💡 ivie insight: Homes with poor insulation face a £250 higher annual energy bill than other homes.

    4. Your specific needs

If you have a disability, are a bit older or suffering from an illness, you might need to be extra careful about keeping warm. Not every energy-saving tip will work for you so personalise your savings journey best you can.

Reducing your bills might be at the top of the list this year. But your health should always come first.

“£1.3bn is spent each year on health services in England on treating illness caused by cold homes, and 20% of the UK’s carbon emissions come from housing. If households were sufficiently supported to retrofit their homes, then both fuel poverty and the UK’s impact on climate change would be lessened.”
National Energy Association (NEA)

Summary

We use energy all the time. There’s no way of avoiding it. And as you can’t change how you’ve used energy in the past, it’s crucial you focus on how you can make energy savings in the present and future.

With the help of smart technology, like your in-home display and the ivie smart meter app, you can make the right changes that work for you. Focus on really analysing how and where you use energy, so you can make the most efficient changes.