Energy Saving Tips
If you living off the grid or are attached to the national grid you will still need to make big cuts in your energy consumption. Below are few tips that will save you money and reduce your carbon footprint.
Lighting
- An obvious one but lots of people still haven't made the change to energy efficient light bulbs.Incandescent (old school bulbs) use 4 times more energy than compact fluorescents (energy saving bulbs). Energy efficient bulbs also last up to 12 times longer than their predecessors. They are more expensive than the older bulbs. However it's estimated that you can save up to £8/€10 per bulb per year.
Fridge & Freezer
- These are the some of the energy hungriest appliances you can run in your home.
- Avoid placing them next to an oven. They will have to work harder to stay cool
Don't put hot food in. Wait until it's cooled down. - Defrost your freezer on a regular basis. Make sure that ice isn't forcing the door open. If there is a gap then warm air is getting in.
- If you are buying a new fridge go for the most energy efficient one. Look out for the energy ratings - A, A+ and A++ are best. They will be a bit more expensive but this should be offset by all the money you will save.
Cooking & the Kitchen
- Try to use the perfect sized pan for the job. If you use a pan that's too big you are just wasting energy.
- Try to use the microwave when heating up food. It will take a fraction the time and be a fraction of the cost.
- When boiling kettles use the correct amount of water. Kettles use up a huge amount of electricity. You can fill the kettle with using a cup if you want to exact.
- Remove any oven shelves you are not using. They take in lots of heat.
- The smaller you chop your food the quicker it will cook.
- Put lids on pots when you are cooking vegetables. This will reduce the amount of heat escaping into the room.
- Try to limit how many times you open the oven door. You remove about 20% of the heat every time you do.
Dishwasher
- Only run your dishwasher when it's full. It will use the pretty much same amount of energy whether it's full or half full.
- Be really frugal and stop the dishwasher from drying your pots. Leave the door open and let it dry au naturel.
Laundry
- Always use a low temperature for loads unless they are filthy!
- Always use a full load rather than a half load.
- Try to dry outside when ever you can. It's more time consuming but is 100% free! Smells nicer too.
- Use drying balls in your tumble dryer. They can reduce electricity/drying time by 25%. They are chemical free and affordable. No brainer!
- Regularly clean your dryer’s filter.
Curtains
- They are great at keeping heat from escaping through the window.
- If you have a curtain that falls down over a radiator you are channeling heat out of the room and towards the window. It might be best give them a trim!
Household appliances
- The standby light is your enemy! Your TV or DVD can use up to 60% of the normal running cost when in standby.
- Some appliances will use a little energy even if switched off. To be certain switch off at the socket.
- Use a standby reduction device. This goes into the socket as normal. Plug your computer in, then when you swtich off your computer it will turn everything connected to it off ie printers,scanner and modem. It can work for TV's with DVD and Satellite TV box attached.
Bathroom
- Make sure you hot water is not heated above 60°C, anymore is just wasted.
- Avoid using power showers. They can use the same amount of water as a bath in 5 minutes.
- Add a low flow shower head to all showers in the house. It's like Diet Shower! This mixes air into the water so it feels like the same flow but is actually using less water.
Heating
- If you have radiators use Radiator reflector panels. They reflect heat into room rather than the wall.
- Turn your heating down to between 18-21°C. If you can cope knock 1°C off your temperature for big heating savings.
- Drafty passage? If you live in an old drafty house try and do something about them. Look closely at your windows and doors. Fix what you can. Replace if you have to. It will benefit you int he long run. Draft excluders have been making a come back since the recession.
- It helps if you have individual room thermostats. This way you can heat your rooms appropriately. My spare room is always pretty chilly unless friends are staying.
- Get a stove instead of fire. With traditional fires up to 70% of heat goes up the chimney. Very inefficient if you ask me. Stoves heat the room not the chimney and use less fuel.
« Make your own Fridge (Zeer) | 12 ways to save money with your car »
