The Green Doctor has great energy-saving tips for you! 

By making a pledge to take on one (or multiple) of the below, you will be making a real difference – both to your bills, and your energy consumption.

Choose the pledge you want to make, fill in a 30-second form and you’ll be sent an email with a reminder of what you agreed to do, so you can always refer to it.

Our Green Doctors provide FREE home visits in your area, to give advice on how you can save money and use your energy more efficiently to stay warm and healthy. We will also install energy-saving items such as LED light bulbs, draught excluders and more.

There are no costs to this service, as our charity is fully funded. To find out more and to get a FREE home appointment, click here.

Green square graphic with text "I pledge to... turn appliances off at the socket" with illustration of battery, Green Doctor and Groundwork Five Counties logos.

Pledge 1: I pledge to turn appliances off at the socket

Almost all electrical appliances in the home, such as televisions, computers and phone chargers, draw power continuously unless unplugged.

Turning off the socket power switch or unplugging can save up to £60 a year.

Green square graphic with text "I pledge to... turn down my thermostat by 1 degree" with illustration of thermostat, Green Doctor and Groundwork Five Counties logos.

Pledge 2: I pledge to turn down my thermostat by 1 degree

Setting the thermostat to 19 degrees (or 20 if you have health issues) should be enough to keep warm and stave off cold and damp in your home.

Lowering it by 1 degree can save 1,400 kilowatts annually – saving over £100 a year.

Green square graphic with text "I pledge to... take 5 minute showers as often as I can" with illustration of a water tap, Green Doctor and Groundwork Five Counties logos.

Pledge 3: I pledge to take 5 minute showers

The average electric shower costs £2.43 an hour to run.

If you live with multiple people who all take 15-minute showers every day, this will very quickly add up!

By reducing your showers to 5 minutes, you will only pay 21p per shower.

Green square graphic with text "I pledge to... use a slow cooker instead of my hob" with illustration of a slow cooker, Green Doctor and Groundwork Five Counties logos.

Pledge 4: I pledge to use a slow cooker instead of my hob

The average hob costs 49p per hour to use.

The average slow cooker uses 1.08 kWh per hour. Using a slower cooker can cos as little as 5.15p per hour

Green square graphic with text "I pledge to... install LED light bulbs where I can" with illustration of light bulb, Green Doctor and Groundwork Five Counties logos.

Pledge 5: I pledge to install LED light bulbs where I can

An average non-energy efficient 100-watt light bulb will last around 1,000 hours and consumes 10 watts, costing around 5p an hour.

A LED bulb usually last around 40,000 hours and can be as low as 4 watts, costing just 2.1p an hour.