Whether you are a homeowner or a business, we’ve all seen a considerable increase in our energy bills. This has forced a lot of us to think about how we use our energy and how we can be more efficient.
Well the good news, is that by making some small changes around the home or your business can result in some rewarding savings on what you pay for your energy. In this blog, we have outlined a number of these and demonstrated the potential savings (source: energy saving trust).
1. Switch your appliances off in the standby mode
We are all guilty of leaving appliances in the standby mode, instead of turning the appliance completely off by the plug (don’t worry this will not affect your programming). The honest fact is that it’s a little more effort and we tend to fall into the habit of what it is convenient. You can check with your appliance manufacturer the full breakdown on what happens if you unplug your appliance, if you have any concerns on potential loss of programming. The potential annual savings here according to the energy saving trust is £55 per year.
2. Draught proof your windows and doors
Depending on the age of your home, it is likely that heat will be escaping from your windows and doors. Draught proof these areas can help to retain the heat within your home and there are plenty of DIY methods that can be purchased at affordable pricing. But, it may also be worth upgrading your windows and doors so they more energy efficient, with the investment been offset against the savings you will make. The potential annual savings here utilising the DIY approach, according to the energy saving trust is £45 per year.
3. Turn off the lights in the room that you are not using
If you have young kids then this is much more prominent, as they will happily go around your home switching all the lights on without much thought. But, collectively either at home or in your business, we all need to make more of a conscious effort to all using the lights when required and in the rooms that you are using. Natural light is for free, so maximise this during the day with curtains and blinds open. The potential saving according to the energy saving trust is £20 per year.
4. Manage your washing cycle
Look at what you are washing and whether you are able to increase the load of clothes and reduce the frequency. Additionally, try using your washing machine on a 30-degree cycle instead of higher temperatures. Additionally, try and reduce your weekly wash by 1 per week. All of this will help, and according to the energy saving trust you can expect to save £28 per year.
5. Avoid the use of your tumble drier
If it is possible try and avoid the use of your tumble drier as these appliances are very energy thirsty. During the warmer months, you should be able to hang your clothes outside on a rail or stand. It may be also worth putting your washing on an extended spin cycle to help ensure that you washing is as dry as possible, before you hang it out to completely dry out. The potential savings here according to the energy saving trust is £60 per year.
6. Spend less time in the shower
If you are able to reduce the amount of time you spend in a shower to 4 minutes, then there are good savings to be made here. You may want to take an alarm clock into the bathroom to give you that reminder when your time is nearly up. The potential savings here according to the energy saving trust is £70 per year.
7. Swap your bath for a shower
We know that sometimes you just need that long soak to rewind and relax and this is OK. But, if you could swap that bath for a 4 minute shower, it will reduce your energy bills. Additionally, you will have less water wastage which has other positive effects. The potential savings here according to the energy saving trust is £12 per year.
8. Get your boiler serviced
For your boiler to operate efficiently it will need an annual service by a Gas Safe engineer. They will conduct a number of checks on your boiler to ensure that it is performing at its optimum performance.
9. Switch to a new energy efficient boiler
Heating and hot water accounts for over half of what you spend in a year on energy bills, so an efficient boiler makes a big difference. All modern, well-maintained boilers burn their fuel efficiently, but they inevitably lose some heat in the hot gases that escape up the flue (a pipe used to extract fumes and supply fresh air to the boiler). Modern boilers are more efficient than older boilers for several reasons, but their main advantage is that they are ‘condensing’. A condensing boiler recovers more heat from the exhaust flue gas and uses it to heat the central heating water, making it more efficient than older boilers.
10. Install smart heating controls
Heating controls help you keep your home comfortably warm, without over-heating and wasting energy. By installing and using your heating controls effectively, you could save money on your heating bills and lower your carbon emissions. Heating controls is a broad term covering timers, thermostats and plumbing and electronic components, which help manage when the heating should be on and what temperature your rooms should be. Should you be interested in receiving a free quotation on a new energy efficient boiler, then please contact us.