January – for many, a miserable month of feeling the financial pinch after Christmas and facing the prospect of dark, cold days and nights.
And with another national lockdown meaning a continuation of remote working and a return to home schooling for millions, this will undoubtedly lead to greater energy bills across the board; from charging up laptops, more lunchtime cooking and keep the house warm.
Research carried out last summer showed that household monthly utility bills rose by half (from an average of £67 to £103) since the first lockdown in March. However, as winter bites and homeowners face ongoing Stay At Home restrictions, couples and families could be forking out even more.
Linden Homes – part of Vistry Group – says now is the perfect time to bring forward any plans to move home in 2021, with saving money a hot topic as the annual national Big Energy Saving Week, which looks at how people can save on fuel bills and cut utility costs, kicks off on January 18.
Megan Marshall, marketing manager for the Linden Homes Yorkshire region said: “It will come as no surprise that buying and moving into a brand-new home at this time of year will almost certainly result in savings when it comes to utility bills - thanks to economic boilers, insulation and double-glazing.
“Buyers can start reaping the benefits from the moment they move in, and with the housebuilding industry still open for business and Christmas out of the way, now is the ideal time to come and talk to us about moving before to a brand-new home and start saving money.”
Industry figures reveal that new build homes can save their owners £629 a year on energy bills; enough to cover the cost of a Starbuck latte on every working day of the year or a premier league season ticket plus seven away games!
Linden Homes’ new properties automatically come with a numerous energy-saving, environmentally friendly features which could dramatically reduce the running costs compared to an older counterpart.
Tips on saving on energy bills:
- You can save around £35 a year just by remembering to turn your appliances off standby mode.
- Use a bowl to wash up rather than a running tap and save £25 a year in energy bills.
- Cutback your washing machine use by just one cycle per week and save £8 a year on energy.
- Spending one minute less in the shower each day will save up to £8 a year off your energy bills, per person.
- If you already have a full set of controls, turning down your room thermostat by just one degree can save around £60 a year.
- If the average household replaced all of their bulbs with LEDs, it would cost about £100 and save about £40 a year on bills.
- Boilers account for around 55 per cent of what is spent on energy bills in a year. Your new home will have a shiny new super energy efficient one.
- Where possible, appliances fitted into Linden Homes properties are A rated or higher for energy performance.
- All the toilets in Linden Homes properties feature a dual flush to help conserve water usage.
- New homes will be built with the recommended insulation throughout the home – so no need to check and upgrade.
Megan added: “With newer homes come smarter ways of saving energy and ultimately reducing utility bills for the homeowner, particular as many of us are spending even more time at home during the winter months.
“At Linden Homes, every effort is made to deliver best practise to our customers – from the build stage, with double glazing and wall and loft insulation, right through to the various heating and water systems elements that make up the property.”
-ENDS-
Contact: Cetti Long, Media Matters, 01733 371363; cetti@mediamatters-pr.co.uk
Source: Energy Savings Trust, HBF
