A recent household that The HEAT Project visited saved energy bill £15 a year just by turning off their microwave at the socket. It doesn’t seem a lot but if you can save £15 just by flicking a switch have a think about what else you could do?
Kettles
Do you fill your kettle every time? Only putting in enough water for what you need can save on wasted energy.Don’t boil what you don’t need.
Unplug/Turn off Appliances
We can easily reduce our electricity consumption by at least 10% by understanding and controlling our appliances.
Do you leave your TV on standby? The average household does for 17 hours a day! Do you change your smart phone over night?
Refrigerators
Decide what you want before you open the refrigerator. Gazing into the refrigerator can cost you up to a whopping £36 a year!
Do not have your fridge in direct sunlight as this makes your fridge work harder to stay cool.
Dishwashers
Always run a full load and allow to air-dry at the end
Washing and Drying Clothes
Washing your clothes at 30 degrees can use up to 40% less electricity than washing at a higher temputure.
It is difficult to dry your clothes outside living in Scotland and because of other demands on your lifestyle but where possible dry your clothes outside.
Shower
Showering is much more efficient than filling a bath with hot water! In-fact you can use only 14% of the water you would use when bathing
Room Layout
Open your blinds and curtains in the morning. It’s easy to just switch the main light on and not open the blinds or curtains. This not only wastes electricity,it also stops the sunlight getting into your house which is a way of warming up your house
Close blinds and curtains an hour before dark – you can retain up to 5% more heat in your room by closing the curtains before dark
Relocate objects away from windows where possible as this blocks the sunlight from entering your room
Do not place sofas in front of radiators as this blocks the heat from reaching the rest of your room
LED Lightbulbs
Lighting is accountable for about 15% of household energy bills. Replacing your standard lightbulbs with LEDs can reduce this by 80%
LEDs are available to fit most fittings and are particularly good for replacing spotlights and dimmable lights, they are more efficient than CFLs and will save you more money in the long term. They can last up to 10 years. When buying your new bulbs, think lumens, not watts. The brightness, or lumen levels, of the lights in your home may vary widely, so here’s a rule of thumb:
To replace a 100-watt incandescent bulb, look for a bulb that gives you about 1600 lumens.
Energy Efficient Windows
By far the most common energy efficiency improvement is to fit double glazing window. This does save energy but perhaps not as much as you might think. double glazing window The Energy Saving Trust estimates that an…
Loft Insulation
We are all pretty good at loft insulation but have you insulated your loft hatch and sealed it around the edges to prevent drafts? One way of doing this is by using old carpet and flooring underlay….
Low cost ways to make your home more energy efficient
The most low cost and effective ways that you can do it yourself to make home energy efficiency. Open Chimneys / Stoves Do you have an open fire that you only light a few times a…