Simple Tips for Saving Energy in the Home

With the rising energy prices, the increasing pinch we feel in our wallets and the warnings of major climate changes due to the emissions of carbon dioxide, it is vital that we are as efficient as possible with our energy usage.

To paint a wider picture, the climate changes we have seen have been caused, in the most part, by the number of CO2 emissions – something that is created by the majority of things that produce energy in our homes. Therefore, by making slight changes, the fight against climate changes can be toughened.

Equally, energy usage isn’t just a global issue, with many of us now spending at least 10% of our household incomes on energy within the home. And, with prices set to rise, this picture looks increasingly bleak, which is why people are being urged to make simple changes around the home that could save them hundreds of pounds a year. We’re not talking drastic, turning off the heating and wrapping yourselves in rugs type changes, but simple, turning things on standby changes.

It is thought that £30 a year is wasted by the average UK household, just because electrical items are left on standby. Things like your TV will normally be placed on standby if you turn them off with the remote, and a good telltale sign that they’re still using electricity is if they have a light indicating that they’re on standby. With added electrical appliances like PlayStations, Wii’s and so on also being left on standby, this could alter your electricity bill significantly; so try and make a habit of turning these types of appliances off at the plug.

Another cheap and easy way to save energy is to use an appliance that is energy efficient; e.g. energy efficient lightbulbs. Did you know that a whopping £60 can be saved by using a 20 watt bulb instead of a 100 watt?

A good way to find out if something is energy efficient is by checking it’s EU energy label – this will indicate where on the scale of efficiency it is, with G being the least efficient and A being the most. By buying a more efficient appliance when an old one of yours needs replacing, you could save a lot of money in the long run.

Be heating efficient. Heating is something that can guzzle up energy and will consequently add to the cost of your household bills. An efficient boiler may cut your energy use by a third compared to that 10-year-old one you may have installed now. Figures show that nearly two million homes could be provided with power and heating if everyone had one of these high-efficiency boilers.

However, changing your boiler may seem like an expensive luxury that you just cannot afford regardless of how much it may reduce your bills over the next few years. If so, installing simple things such as thermostatic radiator valves and a more efficient thermostat could help reduce the amount of energy used by your current boiler. It doesn’t have to cost a lot to save a lot.

Equally, when winter does arrive and the heating needs to go on, by just turning your heating down one degree, you could save a massive 10% on your next bill!

Finally, one of the most inefficient of appliances in your home is the kettle, and if you just can’t manage without your cups of tea, you can save a lot of energy by just heating the amount of water you need rather than filling the kettle to the brim every time you use it.

As you can see, incredibly simple steps can be taken to help reduce those household costs you are faced with, all the while allowing you to do your bit towards preventing climate change. So once you’ve finished watching that programme on the TV tonight, switch it off by the plug and watch your bills go down each month.