Christopher Blomeley of Community Energy Colchester shows how you can heat your room and not your walls

This week is Big Energy Saving Week – and an Essex expert is sharing his five top tips on how to save money on home energy bills.

Christopher Blomeley of Community Energy Colchester is sharing his knowledge via Essex County Council and the Essex Climate Action Commission to help residents reduce their outgoings.

In a series of videos to be released between January 20-25, Christopher will demonstrate some ingenious ideas everyone can try without spending large amounts of money.

His five top tips will show you how to:

• Cook a meal for your family with the stove switched off: Christopher demonstrates his ‘modern eco box cooker,’ made from a plastic tub and some insulating foil.
• Keep warm while working at home without turning on the heating: A couple of strategically placed hot water bottles can do the work of a radiator in your home office at far lower cost.
• Heat your room, not your walls: If you do need to turn on the radiator, putting insulating foil behind it can save you pounds.
• Create your own double glazing for just a few pounds: a cheap purchase from the DIY store can help make your windows much more energy efficient.
• Make sure the rubber seals on your doors and windows aren’t costing you money: a roll of insulating tape is that’s needed, and Christopher shows how this is done.

Christopher, who offers free energy advice sessions to residents in the Colchester area, says all his tips are easy and affordable.

“With just a few simple tools and materials it’s possible for even the most reluctant DIY-er to create a warm, more energy-efficient home that’s pleasant to be in and cheaper to run. And at the same time you could be contributing to a more sustainable future for all of us,” he says.

Cllr Peter Schwier, Essex County Council Climate Czar and Cabinet Member for Environment, Waste Reduction and Recycling, said:

“These tips from Christopher show that making just a few small changes can have a positive impact on the amount of energy we use. Saving energy is not only beneficial for our climate and environment, but it also reduces energy bills and saves money.”

Christopher’s energy-saving tips will be shared each day from Monday January 20 – Friday January 25 and are available here on YouTube.