Looking at the efficiency of the appliances you buy is a good one, turning down the thermostat and only having the heating on when you're in the house will all save energy.
The most common method for conserving energy is switching appliances off when not in use. Many appliances have lights or standby functions that continuously burn power if left plugged in with power to the socket. Mobile phone chargers are by many people believed to use no power when a phone isn't attached yet this is untrue. Even if your phone is not being charged, the charger is still burning electricity whilst plugged in and you only need to touch it and feel the warmth of the plastic to realise this.
Only use what you need, and reduce what you need. This means turning lights and other electronics off when you aren't using them, and unplugging things that you are not using. Heating and cooling uses lots of energy, so don't waste it! That means, if you are using the heater or A/C, keep your doors and windows shut. Turn the heater down a few degrees, and put on a sweatshirt instead.
To conserve energy in your home:
Turn your heating thermostat down a few degrees.
Wear pullovers indoors instead of heating.
Insulate your home,
lay warm carpets,
install loft insulation, cavity wall insulation,
double glazing, build a porch around doors that open directly to the outside,
Keep windows and doors shut on cold days,
Also:-
Make sure you fully turn off all water taps, water often has to be pumped, so dripping taps waste energy,
Turn all electric lights off that are not necessary,
Use lower power lamps perhaps, with good reflectors,
Replace standard lamps with low energy lamps,
Don't leave electric gadgets on power standby, instead turn them off.
Also:-
Install photo voltaic cells on your roof to convert light energy into electricity. You can save 1/4 of your electricity bill and you may be able to get the feed in tariff paid to you.
Use a combined heat and power boiler, this generates electricity from waste heat - again you can get the feed in tariff paid to you.
Otherwise use a condensing boiler to save heat lost by steam in the exhaust - these have been in standard use for some time.
Install solar water heating - these will probably save you using any other power source to heat your water during summer months.
Install a heat pump - this works like a refrigerator in reverse. It is claimed they can keep a water tank heated to 70degrees centigrade from an external temperature of -15 degrees centigrade. They do this with a pump that transfers heat from air, either outside or inside, and concentrates it in your water tank to raise the temperature there.
Save energy on transport:
Use a bicycle or walk instead of a car for short trips.
Drive a fuel efficient car.
Don't over fill your petrol tank, as it adds more weight to the car.
Change up to a higher gear at 2000 rpm.
Drive at the most efficient speed on motorways - this might be around 3000rpm or 56 miles per hour.
Avoid heavy breaking, instead come off the accelerator in plenty of time.
Don't use heavy acceleration, speed up slowly.
Drive with the windows shut to cut down on wind resistance.
Conserve energy on food.
Buy locally produced food and save on transport and refrigeration costs.
Put no more than the water you need to boil into your electric kettle i.e. just over a cup full for a cup of tea. Then add a little more to absorb remaining heat from the hot element for later.
Turn electric cooking elements off before cooking finishes as they stay hot for a while.
Avoid using power tools when manual tools will do such as:
power lawn mowers,
power hedge trimmers etc...
these noisy tools are only necessary for very large jobs when time is short.
Save money on energy so you can use it to enjoy life on good things.
Take electrical appliances off standby when not in use.
In what way?
