ASL's Energy Saving Tips
Since the recent government announcement regarding energy bills, we are all feeling a little apprehensive for Winter. We have put together some simple energy saving tips to ensure you save money on your energy bills this winter.
1. YOU CAN SAVE AROUND £35 A YEAR JUST BY REMEMBERING TO TURN YOUR APPLIANCES OFF STANDBY MODE.
We may not think it, but when things are on standby they still tend to be running in the background. By turning off your appliances at the plug, this will ensure you aren’t wasting energy and money.
2. ONLY FILL THE KETTLE WITH THE AMOUNT OF WATER THAT YOU NEED AND SAVE AROUND £6 A YEAR.
The more water you put in your kettle, the more energy is needed to ensure it boils all of the water. If you are only making a cup of tea, try to ensure you are only boiling that amount of water.
3. GET AN EFFICIENT SHOWER HEAD FITTED TO REDUCE YOUR HOT WATER USAGE WHILE RETAINING THE SENSATION OF A POWERFUL SHOWER.
If you’ve got a shower that takes hot water straight from your boiler or hot water tank (rather than an electric shower) you will end up having a better quality shower and reducing your hot water usage. A water efficient shower head could save a four person household (eg a family of four or even a shared student flat) as much as £30 a year on gas for water heating, as well as a further £45 a year on water bills if they have a water meter.
4. SPENDING ONE MINUTE LESS IN THE SHOWER EACH DAY WILL SAVE UP TO £4 A YEAR OFF YOUR ENERGY BILLS, PER PERSON.
With a water meter this could save a further £7 off annual water and sewerage bills. If everyone in a four-person household did this it would lead to a total saving of £47 a year.
5. PROFESSIONAL DRAUGHT-PROOFING OF WINDOWS, DOORS AND BLOCKING CRACKS IN FLOORS AND SKIRTING BOARDS CAN COST AROUND £200, BUT CAN SAVE AROUND £25 A YEAR ON ENERGY BILLS.
Unless your home is very new, you will lose some heat through draughts around doors and windows, gaps around the floor, or through the chimney. DIY draught proofing can be much cheaper or installing a chimney draught excluder could save around £18 a year on top of this.
6. INSTALLING A ROOM THERMOSTAT, A PROGRAMMER AND THERMOSTATIC RADIATOR VALVES AND USING THESE CONTROLS EFFICIENTLY COULD SAVE YOU AROUND £70 A YEAR AND CUT YOUR CARBON EMISSIONS BY 305KG.
A thermostat can allow you to control the temperature your house gets too, you can even have it set on a timer so you can warm your house up before you get home. Not only does it save you money, but it will also help the environment.
7. WASH YOUR CLOTHES BETWEEN 30 AND 40 DEGREES.
90% of a washing machine’s energy expenditure is spent heating the water, so if you wash your clothes at 30-40°C you’re saving a significant amount of money.
8. TRY AND SWITCH ALL OF YOUR LIGHT BULBS TO ENERGY SAVING ONES.
Most of your electricity within your home will be used up by lighting, more so within the winter months however, by using energy saving lightbulbs, they will allow you to use the same amount of lighting, but will cost you less money to run.
9. ENSURE YOU REGULARLY CLEAN YOUR APPLIANCES.
If dust and dirt build-up in your appliances, they may have to work harder and use more power to do the same job. Try and work this in your cleaning routine so dust does not build up over time.
10. ENSURE YOUR RADIATORS ARE NOT BLOCKED BY FURNITURE OR CURTAINS
Where possible within your household, try to have your furniture either away from the radiator completely or at least a few centimetres away. This could help you boost the heat within your home and allow it to warm up quicker.
