On average, one household emits around 14 tonnes of greenhouse gasses every year. It has been estimated that half of this is from electricity generation. Making simple considerations of and alterations to the way we treat daily appliances can help reduce your carbon footprint whilst also saving money on your energy bill; it’s a win-win situation!
Here are 10 easy ways you can save energy:
- Unplug your appliances!
Standby mode doesn’t mean that your device is not sucking up energy. Always unplug your tech when you have finished using it.
- Use Appropriate sized Pans for the hob
Try to not use any oversized pots for the hob ring, and use a lid when you can. This will reduce the amount of energy it takes to cook your food.
- Change to Energy-efficient Light Bulbs
Changing just one lightbulb to an energy-efficient one can reduce lighting costs by up to £78 over the lifetime of the bulb. This might not sound like a lot but tot up how many lights you have in your house and the number becomes astounding.
- Fit Reflector Panels on your Radiators
If you fit reflector panels behind your radiators they will ensure that 95% of the heat energy into the room from the back of your radiator. This way, you can benefit from all of the heat the radiator can generate and then not have to leave it on for so long.
- Fix that leaky tap!
A continuously dripping hot water tap can waste more water than you’d like to think about. It’s a needless expense and can be easily solved.
- Draft-proofing
Draft-proofing your windows, doors, wall and ceiling fittings, and ceiling-to-wall joints can save on average £55 per year on heating bills. It might not sound like a lot but draft-proofing is a job that has to be done once, unlike the continual £55 which will be taken from your bank account!
- Using the Washer and Dryer
The washing machine is a water and energy guzzler so make sure that whenever you use it you wash full loads of clothes and not just a few items. Depending on what you’re washing, you could also use a setting of 40 °C or 30°C this adjustment will use around 1/3 less of electricity in comparison to a wash on a higher temperature.
Also, dropping the dryer is a great idea. When the sun is shining, hang your washing out on the line. If the weather is looking a little risky, you can dry your laundry indoors, just place a laundry rack near the windows so if the sun decides to show its face they’ll dry faster. If it’s a dull day and you decide to use the radiators to dry your clothes, take them off as soon as they are dry as more heat will be able to circulate the room. If using the dryer is your only option, make sure you add some tumble dryer balls into your load of washing as they will help speed up the drying process.
- Using the Kettle
Don’t boil a full kettle every time you make a brew. Only boil what you need! On average, a kettle uses 2 to 3 kilowatts (kW) to boil and It costs around 12p per kW which adds up to about 36p per brew I know doesn’t sound like a lot but think about how many times you use the kettle every day, it all adds up!
- Shower or bath?
The shower uses a considerably less amount of energy in comparison with a bath. Also, showers and baths are responsible for the majority of a household’s hot water bill so if you cut your shower time from 20 minutes to 10 minutes, you could save about 25% on your water-heating bill.
- Fridges and Freezers
It’s important to remember to defrost these appliances regularly as this helps them run more efficiently; if there’s less ice to keep frozen, it won’t take so long to freeze your food. Also, despite how annoying it might be to have to dig through bags of frozen peas to get to the ice-cream, packing the freezer is a great way to lower the energy usage, as although more food equals more to freeze, the insulation of the food provides ensures that the freezer has to produce less to keep the food cool.
It really is that easy! These little adjustments will help us live in equilibrium with the planet whilst also ensuring that we’ve got some extra cash lining our wallets!
