This week is Energy Saving Week from October 21 to 25 and this is your opportunity to really look at the way you are using energy in your home. The Energy Saving Trust has many different tips for your home to help you save energy and they even go room by room for your convenience. This blog aims to highlight some of the best tips given by the Energy Saving Trust to get you on your way to having a more energy efficient home. It is your time to do your part.
You may think you have done absolutely everything in your home to make it as energy efficient as possible, but there is always something else you can do to stop those draughts, save that energy or become more efficient. Read on to see if you are doing everything you can:
1. Draught excluder: This is the story so far. You have insulated your roof and walls; you have insulated your chimney and double-glazed your windows. There surely is nothing else left? Why not get some draught-proofing products for your doors and windows? You can use a silicone sealant to block cracks in floors and skirting boards and get draught proof doors with seals at the bottom. These could be the final things you need to make sure your home is locked up for the winter from those pesky draughts.
2. Kitchen: Being careful in the kitchen can save you £55 a year and it is all in how your use your kitchen appliances. Follow some of these simple rules:
• Set your washing machine to 30°C.
• Use a bowl to wash up your pots. Don’t leave the water running.
• Don’t fill your kettle up every time, just use the water you need for that cup of tea.
3. Clever shower time: Does your shower take hot water straight from the boiler or the hot water tank? You may be compatible with an energy efficient showerhead. Yes, you read that correctly. Showerheads now come in the efficient variety. Basically this showerhead reduces your hot water usage whilst maintaining the feeling of a powerful shower. Check with your water company to see if they will give you an efficient showerhead for free. To put this in perspective, this showerhead could save you upwards of £150 a year alone. That definitely seems worth it.
4. New heating controls: Can you heat just one certain areas of your home if you want? If the answer is no then you have not taken advantage of the newer heating controls available. With these new controls you can control the heat in each room in your home, you can set your heating and hot water, you can decide that one area of your home needs to be heated and other areas don’t… It is a gadget loving master’s dreamland. It also means you can only use the energy you need.
5. Dry on the line: It may seem old fashioned and slower but if you hang up your clothes to dry and then just ‘fluff’ them on a DE wrinkle cycle in the tumble dryer you will save money and your clothes will feel fresher (especially in the summer.) If you simply must use a tumble dryer then opt for one with the Energy Saving Trust’s recommended logo.
6. Pay attention to the hallway: Draughts can sneak in through places you wouldn’t even think of, like the keyhole in the front and back door, or the letterbox. Buy a purpose made metal cover disc that drops down over the keyhole and make sure you have a brush or letterbox flap over your letterbox. If you want to go a step further, you can cover the front door with a curtain to keep the cold out and the warmth in and you could even opt for the insulated curtain material.
7. Water Butts: Thousands of litres of water run from your roof straight into the drains every year and this is water that could be useful to you and your home. You can save a significant amount of water from your mains supply by collecting the water from your roof in a water butt. You may be eligible for a free water butt from your water company or you may be able to get a discount. Use the water you collect for outdoor chores, such as washing the car, and watering the garden.
8. Hairdryer: Ladies this one is for you. Try to towel dry your hair and maybe sit in front of the fire for a little while before you dry your hair with your hairdryer. This will save some energy used by your hairdryer and it is actually netter for your hair not to be exposed to too much heat.
There are many other ways you can save energy in your home and the Energy Saving Trust has many more ideas. Making some of these simply changes to your home and lifestyle will help you see a difference in your bills and help the earth see a difference to its health.
Do you already do any of these energy saving tips? Do you have any of your own to share to help everyone become more energy efficient this week?
Thanks for all the great energy saving tips. My family and I recently moved to a community of manufactured homes in Tennessee, and we have found that most of the newer builds have energy efficient features already built in. If we all take part in saving energy, we could make a big difference on all the energy consumption of our planet.