Saving Energy At Home

There are three main areas where you can save energy at home

• Heating and hot water
• Lighting
• Appliances and electrical products

Heating and hot water

Most of the energy we use is for heating and hot water, over the last decade energy prices have been relatively cheap and so we have become used to heating our homes without worrying about the bills. Over the last 12 months this has changed as energy is now becoming a premium commodity and prices have risen dramatically.

There are some simple steps you can take today to save energy, money and stay warm:

Hot Water Saving

• Take a shower for 3-5 minutes rather than a bath
• Turn the hot water thermostat down to 60 degrees
• Monitor how much hot water you need on a daily basis and change your timer so you only heat as much as you need

Heating Saving

• Wear more layers of clothes, including woollen, fleece or thermal items
• Reduce the draughts through the use of excluders and self adhesive strips
• Cover your door with a thermal curtain
• Cover your keyholes and insert a brush draught excluder to you letterbox
• Turn the thermostat to 21 degrees or below
• Only switch your heating on when you are at home
• Close doors in each room to keep the heat from escaping
• Only heat rooms which are occupied
• Turn off radiators in warm rooms such as bathrooms and kitchens
• Place reflective panels behind radiators to push heat back into the room
• Insulate your walls and roof space

Lighting

Electricity has always been more expensive than other fuels and so it is essential to minimise how you use your electricity in order to save money and energy. Lighting is one of the aspects where much can be done to reduce the amount you use.

Top tips

• Always switch lights off when not in the room
• Use smaller task lighting if reading or cooking to save using higher powered overhead lighting
• Install energy saving light bulbs or LED fittings
• Install movement sensor light switches
• Use solar powered garden lighting

Appliances and Electrical Products

Much of the electricity we use is for our appliances and electrical products. Fridges and freezers are constantly switched on however there are many other products around the home which could save you up to £50 per year on electricity bills.

It's easy:
Switch it off, remove the plug and turn the socket switch to off.

If it is too difficult to completely switch items off, there are many products such as the Stand-by buster and electricity cut out adapters which will cut the electricity supply to the unit. These are cheap to buy and can save you money straight away without the inconvenience of having to remove everything from its socket each time.

For more information see our electricity saving pages or call us today on 0800 988 2881.

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