A guide to saving energy at home
By decreasing your energy use at home, you can not only save on bills but you can also help with minimising pollution. Most energy-saving methods are easy to implement. Moreover, as well as helping to reduce bills, they are beneficial to the environment. By reading the guide below, you can help to save energy at home.
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Small steps to creating savings
Draughts
A large percentage of heat is lost through draughts escaping through poorly fitting doors and windows. By fitting a sufficient draught proofing system to all your doors and windows, you could save yourself pounds each year through your heating bills.
Turn down the heating
By adjusting your thermostat and reducing the temperature by just a small amount can help to create big savings from your electricity and gas bills. By not heating rooms when they are not in use, is another way of saving yourself money as well as reducing the energy used.
Decrease your hot water temperature
Dropping the temperature of your hot water slightly can reduce the amount that you have to pay to UK energy companies through your bills. Having your boiler serviced can check its efficiency and reduce wastage.
Fridge and freezer
Defrost these appliances regularly to ensure that they are running at their most efficient levels. Replace old appliances with newer energy-efficient models to create greater savings for you.
Standby switches
Do not leave electrical equipment on standby mode. By not switching these off or even unplugging them, you could still be using five or ten percent of the power required to that used, when they are in operation.
Economical measures to saving energy
Lights Switch the lights off when not required. During daylight hours, use the light of the sun not that of artificial light to illuminate a room. Washing machines Use your washing machine only when you have enough for a full load or use the economy button or part load settings. Using a cooler setting will reduce the amount of energy consumed, but will not affect the performance of modern machines. Front loaders are more economical than top loaders through water consumption and energy efficiency. Tumble dryers These machines use a huge amount of energy. If it is a nice day, hang your washed clothes outside on a clothesline and allow them to dry naturally. Shower or bath Taking a shower can use 50% less energy than if you choose to take a bath. Insulation Insulating your roof against heat loss can save you up to a third off your heating bills. The same amount can be saved through having cavity wall insulation installed into your home.