Insulating your tank and pipes
Lagging water tanks and pipes reduces the amount of heat that escapes, so you spend less money heating water up, and hot water stays hotter for longer.
How much could you save?
Insulating your hot water cylinder is one of the easiest ways to save energy and therefore money. If you already have a jacket fitted, check the thickness, it should be at least 75mm thick. If not, it's worth treating your cylinder to a new winter coat. Fitting a British Standard jacket around your cylinder will cut heat loss by over 75% and save you around £40 a year - more than the cost of the jacket!
By slipping pipe insulation around your exposed hot water pipes you’ll keep your hot water hotter for longer. Insulation for hot water pipes will cost around £15 but will save you that much in just a year. Fitting insulation to pipes is easy if the pipes are accessible; if your pipes are hard to reach, you may need professional help.
Fitting a jacket and pipe lagging will also save 230kg of carbon dioxide. Here are the figures:
| Annual saving per year | DIY cost | Time taken to pay for itself | Carbon dioxide saving per year | |
| Hot water tank jacket | Around £40 | Around £15 | Less than six months | Around 170kg |
| Primary pipe insulation | Around £15 | Around £10 | Around a year | Around 60kg |
How to do it
A hot water cylinder jacket costs around £15, and fitting it is a straightforward job.
Pipe insulation are foam tubes that cover the exposed pipes between your hot water cylinder and boiler, reducing the amount of heat lost and therefore keeping your water hotter for longer. It's usually as simple as choosing the right size from your local DIY store and then slipping it around the pipes.
Look for the Energy Saving Trust Recommended label if you’re buying pipe insulation – it will help you recognise the most energy efficient products you can find.
Look for Energy Saving Trust Recommended domestic pipe insulation products.
Read the full Energy Saving Trust Recommended manufacturers' criteria for domestic pipe insulation
Water-saving advice
Getting water to your taps uses a lot of energy, especially when it's heated up - so using less water can save you a lot of money. Use our top tips to save water inside and outside your home.
Water-saving products
Using water-efficient products is an easy way to make a difference. With most of them, you won’t even notice that you’re using less water!
