Tips for Better Energy Conservation at Home
HEATING
Make sure no heat is escaping unnecessarily from your home. Hold a piece of thin fabric or ribbon up to your window frames to check for draughts. If it flutters, there is a breeze somewhere and heat is escaping. Seal the gap.
Put extra clothing on instead of turning up the thermostat.
Reduce your normal thermostat setting by one or two degrees.
When you go in and out of doors, close them behind you to keep the house as warm as possible.
Only heat the rooms you are using by fitting thermostat controls to individual radiators.
Use pre-programmed time-switches to turn your hot water and heating on and off.
COOLING
Keep the condenser coils at the back of the fridge free from dust. Dusty coils can increase energy consumption by up to 30%.
Check the temperature of the fridge. 3C is plenty low enough. Colder than that wastes energy.
Defrost your fridge regularly to maintain its efficiency.
Cool all your food before putting it in the fridge.
Close the fridge door as soon as possible to prevent cold air escaping.
Place your fridge as far away from the cooker as you can.
LIGHTING
Use energy efficient light bulbs.
Buy security lights with a low wattage.
Replace bright halogen lights with lower powered lights.
Enjoy the cozy ambiance produced by candlelight.
GENERAL
Hang your washing up to dry instead of using the tumble dryer.
Fill the kettle with just the amount you need for your cup of tea. Use the same approach when cooking vegetables or pasta on the hob.
Turn off electric appliances at night instead of leaving them on standby.
Remember that saving energy is more than reducing household bills. Everything we buy has a power history’. Try to find locally grown fruit and vegetables, and eat foods when they are in season. Buy clothing and household items that have been made locally, if possible. This cuts down on transportation costs.
Wash laundry at a maximum temperature of 40C. With today’s cleaning products, you don’t need a higher temperature.
Invest in a steamer and cook all your ingredients in one go.
A pressure cooker decreases cooking times by as much as one-third.
Turn your iron off before you get to the last item. It stays hot for quite a while.
Even taken individually, these tips will make vast differences to your household energy usage. However, put them together and over time you’ll see huge reductions in your utility bills. Plus, you’ll have the satisfaction of knowing that you are doing your bit within the household to fight the problems of global warming.
