Top money saving hacks for Irish people and households as they head into 2024

With 2024 now upon us and Christmas spending behind us, Energia have teamed up with Laura de Barra aka the Gaff Goddess to reveal the best home money saving hacks for 2024.

January is usually a time where the weather is cold and cash is tight, so hopefully these expert hacks will allow you to save some extra money and set you up for the rest of 2024.

Energy Efficient Lighting

One simple way to reduce energy consumption in the home is by replacing even just a handful of standard bulbs with more energy-efficient versions.

Though LED, CFL and halogen incandescent bulbs are more expensive to buy, they’re up to ten times more efficient, saving you money on your bill in the long run. They last longer too, meaning you’ll spend less money replacing bulbs throughout the year.

Seal up Draughts

A chilly home is often attributed to draughts coming through openings such as doors, windows, and cracks. While turning up the heating can be a solution, there are more cost-effective methods to address the core issue.

If you take a closer look at the various openings in your home, you can pinpoint areas where cold air may be penetrating from room to room. Utilising caulking is a cost effective and straightforward approach to fill in the gaps between fixed objects like doors and window frames.

Embrace your inner Bake-Off enthusiast as you skilfully apply a straight line of this adhesive into any crevices to effectively seal them—it's surprisingly enjoyable! This process should result in a significant reduction of draughts.

Additionally, weatherstripping, a roll of foam insulation designed for moving components like doors, can be cut to the appropriate length and inserted to ensure a warm and secure seal.

Space Heater

Are you a frequent remote worker? If the answer is yes, have you considered a space heater? Instead of relying on central heating each time the room you work in becomes chilly, consider getting an electric space heater.

These convenient devices excel at rapidly heating small spaces, such as a home office. An hour or so of having the space heater on can provide lasting warmth, all while conserving energy by avoiding the need to heat the entire house on each occasion.

Smart Appliances

If, even after addressing gaps, your home remains consistently cold, considering a smart thermostat could be a worthwhile solution. These devices adapt to your routines, learning your behaviour patterns and making adjustments accordingly.

For example, if you commute to the office twice a week but work from home on other days, the thermostat will intelligently determine when to maintain a constant temperature and when to keep the heating off.

A variety of these innovative Wi-Fi-enabled products are available in the market, and they come at an affordable cost.

Energia have created a full series of helpful guides on how you can save money this Winter and moving into 2024 with their ‘Winter Ready’ campaign.

You can view the full series here.