As well as saving energy it is worth thinking about whether you can generate your own power.
The savings can be huge. It's good for your finances and the environment.
If you generate your own power, you'll still need your traditional source of energy. But you won't have to use it nearly as much. So you can say goodbye to big fuel bills.
Home Energy Scotland from the Scottish Government can help you with impartial advice on loans, grants and even feed in tariffs that will let you get money back from generated energy you send to the National Grid.
Paws for Thought – Episode 1
In our first episode looking at how our pets can give us inspiration for greener living, our hamster tries out generating energy.
Ways to generate your own power
There are many different methods of generating your own power or heat at home. Find out more about methods you could use to save money on your bills or even contribute power back to the grid.
You can harness the power of the sun to generate electricity and heat your water.
Generate your own electricity using small-scale wind turbines. A typical system in an exposed site can easily generate more power than your lights and electrical appliances use.
Ground source heat pumps (GSHPs) use pipes which are buried in the garden to extract heat from the ground. This heat can then be used to heat radiators, underfloor or warm air heating systems and hot water in your home.
Air source heat pumps absorb heat from the outside air. This heat can then be used to heat radiators, underfloor heating systems, or warm air convectors and hot water in your home.
Wood-fuelled heating systems, also called biomass systems, burn wood pellets, chips or logs to provide warmth in a single room or to power central heating and hot water boilers.
Hydro technology uses running water to generate electricity, whether it's a small stream or a larger river. These can produce enough electricity for lighting and electrical appliances in an average home. Please note hydropower is very site specific. Most homes will not have access to a suitable resource even if they have a water course running nearby. Assessing a hydro site properly is a job for a professional.