Want to be more energy efficient around your home? These tips can make it happen, says Claire Muffett-Reece
“There’s the different ways you can take advantage of natural light. Pull curtains and blinds fully back as soon as you wake up, keeping windows clean to prevent grime blocking natural sunlight”
“Turn down your thermostat – lowering by just 1°C can save up to 10% on your energy bill”
“Don’t forget to turn off your bathroom tap when brushing your teeth”
Facts/stats
High-quality LED lamps consume at least 75% less energy than comparable incandescent ones
(LED Lighting Supply)
Cleaning appliances use roughly the same amount of electricity regardless of the size of the load
(Just Energy)
Keeping your shower time to just four minutes could save you £45 a year and you’ll also save 17,000 litres of water a year
(Energy Saving Trust)
With ever-rising energy prices, it’s wise to become more energy efficient. In doing so not only will you be saving money, but you’ll also help the planet, by reducing greenhouse emissions caused from burning coal, natural gas and oil. But how easy is it? A lot easier than you think, as the following shows.
LET THERE BE LIGHT
First off, consider how you light your home. If you haven’t yet, switch old incandescent or halogen bulbs with LEDs. Said to last between 25,000 and 50,000 hours, even a bulb used for eight hours a day could last between eight to 17 years! It’s also important to keep bulbs clean, giving them a dust every now and then for optimised use. Get into the habit of turning off lights as you leave a room, and, if in shared accommodation, have an agreement with your flatmates that they do the same when they’re the last to leave. Then there’s the different ways you can take advantage of natural light. Pull curtains and blinds fully back as soon as you wake up, keeping windows clean to prevent grime blocking natural sunlight. Speaking of windows, move your desk next to one to avoid turning lights on during the day. Allowed to decorate? Paint walls in light matte shades, as pale surfaces reflect light efficiently, reducing the number of bulbs you need to turn on!
BEAT THE HEAT
Now it’s time to look at the ways you are heating your home during the cooler months. Turn down your thermostat – lowering by just 1°C can save up to 10% on your energy bill. Think about how much time you’re going to need the heating on, setting your timer to turn it on around half an hour before getting up, or when you get home from being out and about. Got valves on your radiators? Turn them down in areas not used as much such as hallways, and shut doors to keep rooms warmer. Speaking of doors, hang a curtain on the inside of your front door if draughty to retain the heat, and use draught-proofing tape around windows if you need to so the warm air stays inside. And don’t forget about the ways you can keep yourself warm without having to crank up the heat. The clothes you wear will have an impact, layering a thermal vest or t-shirt underneath a fleece or hoodie to keep your body core warm. Then there’s a good old hot water bottle – used under your desk, or in your bed, keeps you warm without needing to turn the central heating up.
SPIN CYCLE
Watch how you’re using your washing machine. Use cold water: 75-90% of all the energy it uses goes to warming it up. Wait until you’ve enough to run a full load – but be wary of overloading, too, as clothes, towels or bedding need room to move to get clean. Utilise your machine’s spin cycle: a high-speed spin pulls water from the fabric by sheer force, meaning your clothes drying time will be faster. If your machine has an eco-mode take advantage! Normally washing clothes at lower temperatures around 20°C to 30°C, it may take longer to wash, but uses less energy by heating the water slowly. If you’ve not done so switch from a flat electricity rate from your provider to a time of use tariff. Why? Your electricity is cheaper overnight and even at certain hours of the day – putting a load on at their designated times ups your efficiency. Then there’s maintaining the machine itself, to ensure it uses less energy to do its job. Clean the lint filter and rubber seals to keep water flowing, and use a descaler to remove limescale from heating elements, as a build-up forces the machine to work harder and consumes more power.
YOUR APPLIANCES
When it comes to appliances disconnect phones and laptops once charged, and unplug chargers themselves, which draw power even when empty – between 9% and 16% of electricity is used to power appliances in standby mode. Lower your TV and laptop screen brightness, and ditch screensavers to prevent moving animations keeping your graphics card running at full power. Keep your fridge freezer shelves organised to ensure you keep the doors open for less time as you’re struggling to find something you need. Maintenance is also key, cleaning its coils, to stop dust forcing the compressor to run longer. Defrost your freezer when the ice builds up – again this makes the motor work harder – and if able leave 5cm of space around it to let hot air escape easily. Tumble dryer? Steer clear unless absolutely necessary, using outside space to let Mother Nature do the hard work for you. As for your dishwasher, use an eco-setting over a quick hot wash – and scrape dishes rather than rinsing, as doing so under a hot tap just wastes water and energy.
READY, SET, COOK
The way you choose to cook your food also has an impact on the energy you use. Look at the size pan you’re about to cook with, using it on the same size burner and popping on its lid so no heat can escape. Swap cooking with an oven to an air fryer or microwave, as both cook faster and use less energy than full-sized ovens. Got to use your oven? Keep it shut, as tempting as it is to take a peek to see how your food is cooking – each time you open the door, your oven loses heat; sometimes as much as 25 degrees. As for another area when it comes to cooking, chop or dice your food as small as you can for the meal you’re about to make as they’ll cook much quicker. And when it comes to a nice cup of tea, only fill your kettle with the exact amount of water you will use, to save both energy and time.
WATER USAGE
Last is to look at the amount of water you use around your home. While a long soak in the tub is bliss when it’s cold outside it’s certainly no good when it comes to being energy efficient, so swap for a shower instead. And by that we don’t mean a long one: keeping your time to just four minutes could save you £45 a year, not to mention 17,000 litres of water. While you’re at it turn off the water stream while lathering your hair or soaping up, then turn back on just to rinse. Need to wash your hands? Use cold water instead of waiting for the tap to run hot, reporting any leaks immediately to whoever owns your accommodation so energy isn’t wasted. And don’t forget to turn off your bathroom tap when brushing your teeth – a tap left running during teeth brushing uses around 12 litres of water, while a tap turned off uses just two.
5 energy saving apps
Uswitch (Android, iOS, free)
Track your energy usage and earn cash, stay on top of changes with alerts, and get alerted about any unusual energy activity around your home.
The Student Energy Group (Android, iOS, free)
With this app combine all your household bills into one monthly statement, shared equally among housemates.
Equiwatt (Android, iOS, free)
Own a smart meter? With Equiwatt earn rewards, save money on bills and lower your carbon footprint by reducing electricity use when it is at its most expensive.
Evo Energy (Android, iOS, free)
This app helps you calculate your household electricity cost for running and charging various electrical appliances or devices.
Charge Care (Android, free)
Get notified instantly when your battery reaches 100%, receive alerts before your battery gets too low, get notified when charging starts or stops and more.
