Making your home more eco-friendly is not only good for the environment; it’s great for your bank balance too. Whether you want to put aside a little extra cash each month, alleviate debt problems or even to ease your green-conscience, a good place to start is energy usage in the home.

In your household, you could be using (and possibly wasting) far more electricity and gas than you realise. There are loads of ways to reduce energy consumption – helping to make monthly energy bills a little less scary – but they aren’t always cheap to implement.

This is why you should be taking advantage of the many energy saving grants available nowadays, to help you make your home greener and save money on energy bills in the long run.

How do energy grants work?

The government, energy companies and many other green organisations offer these energy grants to homeowners. Examples include:

• The government‚Äö√Ñ√¥s Energy Saving Trust website lists all the grants available in one place, allowing users to search for suitable ones
• Warm Front gives out up to ¬¨¬£3,500 to UK home renters or owners in heating and insulation improvements packages
• The Green Project specialises in loft and cavity wall insulation grants

If eligible for one of these grants, you could be given a cash sum or a voucher towards making your home more energy-efficient. Although the majority are designed for the elderly, disabled or for low-income families, it never hurts to apply if you feel you have a valid case.