• Smart meters can help you save money, time, and effort.

    They monitor your energy usage, show you how much your energy use is costing, and send automatic meter readings to you supplier.

    Accurate readings mean no inaccurate gas and electricity bills. Also, by seeing how much your energy use is costing you, you can reduce costs by switching off appliances and minimising their use.

    Did you know that costs are lower at certain times of the day?

    In the future, smart meters will allow you to take advantage of advanced time of use tariffs.

    Ask your energy provider for a free smart meter today!

    Sometimes high demand for smart meters means it’s not always easy to book a slot to get it installed.

    If you can’t book a slot online, keeping checking back, or phone your provider or send them an e-mail.

    If you still can’t get anything, you can contact Caithness Citizens Advice Bureau who will be able to give you advice - 01847 894243.

    Alternatively, you can contact the energy ombudsman on freephone 0800 377 7330

  • Draught-proofing is one of the cheapest and most effective ways to save energy – and money – and make your home snug and warm in Winter.

    Draughts let in too much cold air and waste too much heat. To draught-proof your home, you should block up unwanted gaps that let cold air in and warm air out.

    Draught excluders have been a popular solution to stopping draughts through the bottom of doors for decades. You don’t even need to go out and buy one – you can make a couple of effective draught excluders by recycling a pair of old tights or legwear.

    Simply get the tights and cut them in half to separate the legs from each other. You can then fill them with old fabric, stuffing, or even old newspaper until you have a sausage shape. Once it’s filled up, seal up the end by tying it into a knot, or stitching it if you prefer. You can then decorate your DIY draught excluder anyway you wish.

    You could even make it fun and get the kids involved and attach some old fabric to make ears, eyes, and noses to make a sausage dog or a mouse, or you could make a forked tongue out of old fabric or felt to make a snake.

    Alternatively, if you don’t have the time, you could ask one of the local charities if they have any.

    Highland Hospice - 01847 896936

    Cancer Research UK - 01847 894083

    New Start Highland - 01847 891300

  • Water use at home contributes to our energy bills and our household carbon emissions

    Keeping your shower time to just 4 minutes could save a typical household £70 a year on their energy bills

    Have you got a gym or pool membership? Why not use the showers there whenever possible. You’ll have an excuse to get some exercise and save money

    Some of us might enjoy a long soak in the bath which is absolutely fine and necessary for winding down. Swapping just one bath a week with a 4-minute shower could save you £12 a year on your energy bills

    You could also try and fit a water efficient shower head to save on water and energy use. You can get one for as little as about $5 - try Howdens Thurso or William Wilson Thurso

  • We’ve all heard that we should turn off our lights when we aren’t using them. Sometimes it just takes remembering to do it - especially when leaving a room. It’s also handy to be aware of how many lights you have on in the same room – if you have a lamp on, do you need the main light on?

    Why not purchase some nice candles and have them lit at night instead? If you have any external lights, can they be set to sensor only or a timer? By being aware of your lighting, you can save around £20 a year on your annual energy bills

    LED bulbs can further decrease your lighting costs, and on the plus side, they also lower carbon dioxide emissions. As LED lights use less than 80% of energy than a standard incandescent bulb, a smaller amount of fossil fuels are burned to produce it.

    Some of you may be worried that they don’t shine as bright, but they actually don’t reduce the quality of light at all. They are also extremely adaptable and can replace even dimmable lights and spotlights. If you replace all the bulbs in your home with LED lights, you could save £55 a year on your electricity bills.

    You could try Serendipity or The Original Factory Shop to see if they have LED lightbulbs

  • By being more mindful of your washing machine, you can save more than £28 a year from your energy bill.

    You can achieve this by using your washing machine on a 30-degree cycle (or even cold water) instead of higher temperatures. Modern washing powders and detergents work just as effectively at lower temperatures, and you can purchase cold-water detergent.

    You can also try reducing your washing machine use by one run per week for a year. Rather than washing lots of small loads, put on fewer large loads, but make sure not to overfill your washing machine. Your washing machine will use the same amount of energy no matter the size of the clothes load.

    You could also be more mindful of your clothing - do you really need to wash it? Can it be worn again? You could minimise unnecessary washing by hanging up clothes to air after using them. This way you can get the maximum use out of each item before needing to wash them.

    There are certain times of the day which are cheaper for running your washing machine. The most expensive time for you to wash or dry your clothes is between 4pm and 7pm, so try to avoid using your machines between these hours.

    Energy prices are at their lowest between 10pm and 5am - perfect for night owls and early risers, but make sure you follow fire safety guidance and never put a wash in and head to bed for the night.

  • By being mindful of your tumble drier usage, you can save £60 a year on your energy bills.

    The best way to save is to avoid the tumble drier altogether and dry your clothes on racks inside where possible or outside in warmer weather.

    If you need to dry your clothes in the tumble drier, the timing of your tumble-drying cycles can also help save you money. Switch loads while the dryer is warm. This allows you to take advantage of the remaining heat from the previous cycle and can help shorten drying time, as the machine won’t need to work as hard to dry your clothes.

    After washing your clothes, you could spin them on you washing machine’s highest spin cycle before putting them in the tumble dryer. This will remove more moisture before drying, reducing your drying time. Dryer balls (usually wool) are great for using in the tumble drier as they can also remove moisture, separate your clothes for faster drying, and can help reduce static

    Dry heavier cottons separately. Loads will dry faster and more evenly if you separate heavier cottons like linens and towels from your lightweight clothing.

    Make use of the “cool down” cycle. If your dryer has this cycle option, you can save energy because the clothes will finish drying with the remaining heat in the dryer.

    Remember to regularly clean your driers lint filter for maximum efficiency, ideally after each cycle. A lot of lint and hair can accumulate from just one load, which can hinder your machine from properly drying big and dense items. You can scrub the filter with an old toothbrush to remove excess build-up.

  • Switching off appliances rather than leaving them on standby when not in use can save you a surprisingly large amount of money each year.

    Leaving your microwave on standby can cost you an estimated £27 a year, just to display the clock.

    It is said that a Sky TV box can cost you over £40 a year when it’s on standby, even in ‘eco mode’, and a Wi-Fi router can cost you £30 a year when on standby.

    We know it’s not always easy to switch off your Sky TV box, as they need updates and you won’t be able to record over night, but it is something to be aware of.

    For your Wifi router, you can switch them off, or buy a timer plug for about £7 for when you know you will be home and using it.

    Switching off your TV, rather than leaving it on standby, can also be beneficial, especially if it’s a Smart TV as they only take a few minutes to update compared to older TVs which take longer.

    Also, when using a laptop, especially for home workers, once the battery has charged you can unplug your laptop rather than leaving it constantly plugged in.

  • By lowering the water temperature of your boiler, you could save up to £70 a year

    The flow setting on your boiler controls the temperature of water when it leaves the boiler, and the default setting is usually too high

    Turning it down a bit will save you money, help your boiler run more efficiently, and your home will feel just as warm. To be clear, this is not turning down your thermostat

    It is recommended that if you have a combi boiler, set the temperature to 50c for heating and 55c for hot water

    If you have a boiler and hot water cylinder, set the temperature to a few degrees over 60c for heating and hot water, and set your hot water cylinder to 60c

    The Heating Hub have more information and a great step-by-step guide for you to follow