About a quarter of all our clean, drinkable water at home is flushed down the toilet. Place a sealed bottle of water or brick in your cistern to reduce this amount.

Insulate hot water pipes along their full length. Don’t waste the energy you have used to heat your hot water.

Draught excluders are a cheap way of cutting out the chill from poorly fitting doors and windows. Most are also easy to fit, a simple DIY task.

Save energy with your washing machine. Modern washing powders often let you achieve the same results with lower temperatures.

Fill a jug with tap water and leave it to cool in your fridge. You’ll save water by not having to run the tap for ages to get a cold drink.

Check the programmer on your heating and hot water to make sure the timings match your needs. If you don’t have a seven-day programmer fitted consider getting one.

Carbon monoxide is a silent killer. Every year in the UK it kills around 50 people and sends 4000 to A&E for emergency treatment. Make sure you get all your combustion appliances properly serviced and fit an alarm. Good quality alarms are available from most DIY suppliers and take minutes to fit. It could save your life!

Solid brick walls can be insulated internally or externally to reduce heat loss.

Thermostatic radiator valves (TRVs) help ensure your heating is evenly distributed where you need it. Check them to make sure they are set properly so each area reaches the temperature you need and gets no hotter.

Only fill your kettle with the water you need. You will save both water and energy.