There are many things you can do to not only save energy in your home, but also save money by cutting down your energy bills. From installing insulation to switching off appliances, this article highlights some of the most simple and effective things you can do to make your house as energy and cost efficient as possible.
1. Insulation
Insulation saves energy by stopping heat from escaping from your house. Loft insulation can save you £140 a year because 25% of heat is lost through the roof. Installing insulation into cavity walls, solid walls, internal walls, and external walls can save £160 a year. Floor insulation can too save energy, and involves laying insulation between floor joists. Heat can be prevented from escaping from your water tank and pipes by fitting them with foam coverings.
2. Windows
Windows can let out heat if they are only single glazed. To prevent wasting energy, install double glazing windows as they can cut heat loss by half. Double glazing windows trap air between two sheets of glass and act as an insulation barrier to keep the warm air in and cold air out. Keep in mind though that condensation and cracking are some of the most common faults of double-glazed windows.
3. Draughts
Letting in cold air and draughts makes your house colder and lets out heat, making your heating work harder and wastes the energy it takes to heat up your home. To prevent draughts, seal any cracks around windows and walls. You should also close curtains to prevent draughts from windows, and draught-proof gaps around doors, windows, letterboxes and keyholes using a draught excluder. This can save you £35 a year.
4. Heating
Turning the thermostat down by just 1° can save £60 a year. Keep radiators clear and don’t dry clothes on them or place furniture in front of them as this will block the heat. Heating controls and thermostats can be used to ensure that your heating is used more efficiently and can save you between £80 and £150 a year. A controlled system will allow you to only heat areas and rooms that need heating, restrict the temperature level, and manage when your heating needs to turn on and off.
5. Lighting
Turning off your lights when they’re not in use and when you’re not in the room could save £50-£90 a year. To further save energy and money, use energy saving bulbs as they usually last 10x longer than regular light bulbs, use 80% less energy, and can save you around £50 over the lifetime of the bulb.
6. Solar Power
You can save ⅓ on energy bills by installing solar panels. Solar panels can generate 50-60% of the power your home needs by converting UV light into energy. They can be installed onto your roof and are particularly effective if installed onto a south facing roof. Solar energy can also heat your water and save 50% of your hot water needs.
7. Washing
90% of the energy from your washing machine is wasted on heating the water. To save energy, wash at the lower temperature of 30° and save a third on bills. Also, wash only when you have a full load, and once your washing is done, hang laundry to dry outside rather than using the tumble drier.
8. Shower
To save energy on your shower, invest in a water efficient shower head to save £67 a year on the gas used for heating up the water and £100 a year on water bills. Spend less time in the shower and have showers over baths, as this can save £10 a year per person. You should replace your boiler if it is over 15 years old, as this could save £340 a year. Invest in a condensing boiler which is 90% more efficient.
9. Appliances
Turn off your appliances at the wall or plug, as they use energy even when they are on standby – if the standby light is on, turn it off at the wall. You could save £30 a year by tuning your appliances off standby.
10. Kitchen
There are a few things you can do to save energy in the kitchen. Use the right sized pan for the hob, keep lids on saucepans, only boil as much water as you need, use a kettle to boil water, and keep oven doors closed. Defrost the fridge, let food cool down before putting food in the fridge as this affects the overall temperature of the fridge, position your fridge away from heaters and cookers, and don’t leave the fridge door open.
Try just a few of these tips to save energy and money at home. Make a few changes to insulation, windows, heating, lighting, draughts, solar power, showers, appliances, washing, and the kitchen. You could save a lot more energy and money than you think. For more tips on energy efficiency , contact Allcott Associates today.
