Although it’s the height of summer now, autumn and winter will soon be here and you’ll be thinking about the extra energy costs. To head these concerns off at the pass, here’s 15 tips – that you can adopt now – to reduce those bills.
Turn off the heating earlier – it takes around 30 minutes for you to notice that the heating’s gone off, so turn it off half an hour before going to bed.
Lose a degree – turning the thermostat down by 1°C can save you up to €100 a year and you really won’t notice the difference.
Choose your new boiler carefully – if it’s time for a new one, think about an energy-efficient condensing boiler. Condensing boilers use less fuel and you can choose from that use mains gas, home heating oil or liquid petroleum gas. The cost of each fuel source does fluctuate, so this should be looked at.
Use a clothes horse – if you dry your clothes on radiators, it prevents heat from getting into the room, making your boiler work harder for longer.
Move furniture away from radiators – furniture foam is a great insulator – it soaks up the heat rather than letting it into the room!
Draw your curtains – this keeps the warmth in; if possible, tuck curtains behind radiators.
Insulate your loft – your loft or roof accounts for a quarter of your heat loss. You need at least 12 inches of insulation, ideally.
Insulate the walls – walls account for 35% of your lost heat! If you have cavity walls, look into having them filled.
Double up your windows – if you’re looking for new windows, think about double or triple glazing. You could also think about putting an extra pane of glass into an existing window; it’s a lot cheaper and almost as effective.
Get lagging – insulate your hot water tank, either by fitting a jacket around it or buying one that’s pre-insulated. Lag your pipes as well; this reduces heat loss and helps to prevent freezing.
Use energy-efficient lightbulbs – lighting is around 7% of your energy budget. Energy-efficient bulbs use up to 80% less electricity than old-style filament bulbs.
Cook smart –defrost food in the microwave, use a pressure cooker or a slow cooker, cut food into smaller chunks, use a toaster rather than a grill whenever possible and only boil as much water as you need. If you do use your grill or oven, leave the door open to get some extra heat into the place!
Keep your cool – take care of your fridge and freezer. Defrost both regularly, keep them full to save energy and make sure the seals are tight.
Wash full loads – this reduces the number of loads. If you have to do a smaller load, use the economy or half load setting. Use the 30°C setting whenever possible as this uses 75% less energy than the hottest option.
Only tumble dry when it rains – driers are a notorious energy guzzler so when it’s dry outside, dry outside! If you have to use your tumble drier, use eco-balls as these create spaces between clothes, allowing heat in and water out more efficiently. Also, clean the filter once a week or so.
Hi, some great little ideas to improve your homes energy efficiency, thanks for sharing.
Some other tips would be to install new smart thermostats. Ones that can link to your smart phone and turn on the heating just before you arrive home are modern marvel and will pay for themselves in just a couple of years.
The cost of Photovoltaics have also reduced considerably in recent years, these could be a great investment too, if your roof is suitable that is.
Every home should understand that saving energy is the best solution to save money as well and help the environment too. These tips can surely help a lot of homeowners and will give them enough reasons why they should try it.