ENERGY SAVING AT HOME

Having finally picked ourselves up from the floor after opening our renewal quote from our household and office energy provider (double the price???!!!) it feels like the right time to write something about small changes that we can all be making around our homes in order to reduce our energy consumption (and the bills too). Not only will it save us all a few pennies (ideally pounds) we’ll be doing our bit for the environment too.

We all know about avoiding the tumble dryer, or taking a shorter shower, or turning the tap off whilst we brush our teeth, so here are a few slightly different options:

1.      Swap old halogen/incandescent style bulbs to new LED bulbs. According to Houzz.com the annual cost of powering one single incandescent bulb is £8.76 and a halogen bulb is £7.30. Compare that to an LED bulb which they estimate costs just £0.95 annually to power, it certainly adds up over an entire home. LED bulbs may be more expensive to buy in the short term but consider that they should last an average of 50,000 hours compared to 750 hours for an incandescent bulb or 1500 for halogen, that’s a big difference;

2.      Check out www.savewatersavemoney.co.uk to see if there are any (largely free or very cheap) gadgets on offer in your area to reduce your water consumption. There are great options for home and garden. We love the Buffaloo which is inserted in the toilet cistern and reduces the amount of water used per flush. Or why not try a water saving shower head;

3.      Stop that heat escaping. It doesn’t have to mean expensive new windows, doors or a replacement roof either. We have a draughty old house and keep as much heat in as possible by hanging heavy, thermally insulated curtains, even at the front door. It makes a world of difference. If you have a fireplace that you don’t use, block the base with an inflatable pillow, or have a cap fitted on the top, stop that heat going straight out the chimney! Another layer of loft insulation is fairly inexpensive and makes all the difference. The less heat that escapes, the less you have to keep the heating turned on to warm up the house. Moneysavingexpert.com reports that each degree we turn our thermostats down we will save around 4% on our heating bill, and if your rates are anything like ours, that’s nothing to be sniffed at;

4.      Try turning off appliances rather than leaving them on standby when they are not being used or you are out of the house. The Metro reported in April 2022 that the annual cost of leaving an unused games console on standby is £16.24 a year. It quickly adds up when you factor in other electricals. Leaving one large television on standby will set you back £20.00 a year (consider the extra cost if you have two or three televisions in the house). Even items like digital alarm clocks, microwaves or coffee machines all have a standby power cost attributable. A set of remote control standby plugs will allow you to easily turn off appliances in one go; and

5.      Finally, a few little extras. Try using a silicone seal around the outside of a wooden floor to help seal a draught. Reflector panels behind radiators on an external wall will stop heat escaping through the walls and instead reflect it back into the room.