1. Improve your insulation

Heat loss though walls and roof can be around half the heat your boiler generates. Cavity wall insulation costs relativelt little, can take a couple of hours to install, and you could re-coup the cost in under two years by reduced fuel bills.

• Insulating and heating your home efficiently

2. Use labels to buy energy and water efficient appliances

The Energy Saving Recommended logo can only be used by the most energy efficient products, usually the top 20 per cent of those available. Many appliances also have a European Energy Label which rates energy efficiency on a scale of A (best) to G (worst), and provides information on water use.

• The kitchen is normally the place where most energy can be saved through energy efficient appliances.
• To know more about energy rating and labelling read Energy Labels.

3. Use timers and thermostats

Take control of your heating and you could save energy and money. Reducing the temperature on your thermostat by 1 degree could save up to 10 per cent on heating bills.

• More about heating controls

4. Switch to energy-saving bulbs

Choosing energy efficient light bulbs is one of the easiest ways of cutting your energy use. If every household in replaced just three normal bulbs with energy savers, we would achieve massive energy savings.

• More about energy efficient light bulbs

5. Wash clothes at 30 degrees, and in full loads

Your washing machine uses energy and water more efficiently when it′s full, and washing at lower temperatures saves energy too.

6. Avoid use of Volatile Organic Compounds

Volatile organic compounds (VOCs), which are found in paints, finishes and preservatives, can be harmful to humans, wildlife and plants. Most of these products carry a label showing their VOC content, so try choosing the ones with lower VOCs.

7. Turn off appliances instead of leaving them on standby

Electrical appliances left on standby waste six to ten per cent of all energy used in the average home. Switch TVs, stereos, mobile phone chargers and other gadgets off at the switch or the plug when you′re not using them.

8. Install water-saving products

Low flush volume toilet cisterns and aerating heads on washbasin taps help reduce your water use significantly.

• Find out more about saving water at home

9. Fix dripping taps

A dripping tap or overflow can waste a lot of water (just 2 drips a second adds up to about 26 litres of water a day). Fitting a new washer is cheap and can take only a few minutes.

For more information on specific elements select the appropriate category.