As the days begin to become colder and darker, here are a few tips and tricks that can help you to be more energy efficient and save money on your energy bill!
💡Turn off the lights!Â
Household lighting equates to as much as 11% of your total electricity bill. So, if you’re leaving a room, don’t forget to turn off the lights.Â
To make your light usage even more energy efficient, switch your traditional halogen light bulbs with LED ones! LED light bulbs are not only 85% more energy efficient that could save you up to £40 a year, they are also more durable and last up to 25 times longer than traditional bulbs, as well as being cool to touch.
🔥Lower your thermostat
During the day, setting your thermostat to the lowest comfortable temperature (usually between 18 and 21 degrees) is more energy efficient than switching between temperatures. It takes less energy to consistently heat your home at a lower temperature than it does to have drastic temperature changes throughout the day.Â
During the night, when the heating is not needed as much, adjust your thermostat to a lower temperature by around 10 degrees, as often you’ll feel the cold less when you’re wrapped up in bed!Â
If you have a thermostat where you can schedule the temperature, ensure you make use of this feature so you don’t forget to change the temperature throughout the day.Â
💦Be mindful of hot water use
Having long, hot showers can prove very costly. Being able to reduce the time you shower down to 4 minutes can save around £95 per year.Â
Prefer a bath over a shower? Switching one bath per week to a 4 minute shower can save up to £20 each week!
Also, boiling more water than you need not only proves wasteful but also costly! Taking the time to measure the amount of water you need will help to reduce water being wasted.Â
Want to learn more tips on saving water? Read this.Â
🪟Draught-proof windows and doors
Particularly for older homes, draughts seep through small gaps between windows, doors and floors. These gaps can be easily sealed by using draught excluders, window insulation film or thermal curtains. By making these small changes you can keep the heat in and the cold out, while also saving around £125 each year.Â
Paying to heat your home can be costly if there are areas that aren’t well insulated such as lofts and attics. Although insulating your home comes at an immediate cost to you, you can save up to £335 each year by simply insulating your loft!
Want to learn how efficient your home is? Check out your EPC rating here.Â
🧺Doing the laundry
It’s obvious that limiting the amount of washes you do in a week can help you save energy. But, if you change your habits and wash your clothes at 30 degrees, you can save up to 40% of energy compared to a 40 degree wash.
Be mindful of the amount of washing that you put into each load. Before putting on a wash, ask yourself ‘Is the washing machine half empty?’. If it is, wait another few days until the load is full.Â
Using the tumble dryer? Did you know each cycle costs you approximately £1.25, meaning if you dry two loads of washing every week for a year, you are paying over £130 to dry your clothes. Also, lowering the temperature of your cycle can help you to save money.Â
Alternatively, use a clothes airer that is both cheaper and more energy efficient than using a tumble dryer.Â
A traditional clothes airer doesn’t use any energy which is great for savings but not ideal in the Winter when it’s cold and wet outside. To speed up the process, why not invest in a heated clothes airer, with running costs averaging between 10p and 32p, saving you around £1 each time!Â
Simply becoming more aware of high energy consuming items and making small, easy changes can help you improve energy efficiency and reduce your energy bills.Â
Going away for the holidays? Read this to learn how you can save energy while away.
Interested in becoming an energy saving wizard? Check this out to see what energy- efficient home improvements you can make.