Lowering the amount of energy users use around the house is good for both the planet and wallets. But sometimes it’s easy to fall into bad habits (especially when they’ve been spending so much time at home during lockdown).
A new season is a good opportunity to look afresh at their energy usage, and perhaps to introduce a few simple changes to lower the amount we consume day-to-day. Following are five tips for giving energy habits a spring clean:
Rethink the washing
Did users know that if they drop the washing machine to 30 degrees they’ll use around 40% less electricity over a year compared to higher temperatures? Plus, with warmer and dryer days ahead, it's also an excellent time to ask whether the clothes need to be tumble dried every time.
If users have a garden or some outside space, dry the washing outdoors
A tumble drier is one of the biggest energy-consumers of household appliances, so if users reduce their reliance they could reduce their energy usage quite considerably. If users have a garden or some outside space, dry the washing outdoors. If users don’t have outdoor space, placing clothes near an open window works well too, as well as ensuring they keep everything separated to allow air circulation.
Clean out the fridge
If users are anything like it, they may well be that their fridge and freezer have filled up over the last few months with lockdown cooking experiments jars of homemade pickles, and frozen loaves of banana bread, anyone?
As lockdown gradually lifts, take this opportunity to clear out the fridge and defrost the freezer. When ice builds up in the freezer it acts as an insulator, meaning that the freezer has to work longer and harder than it normally would to keep food frozen. Which? has a useful guide on how to do a quick defrost without making a mess or wasting food in the process.
Ensure users are properly insulated
Insulating the loft, attic or roof is a simple way to reduce heat loss and heating bills
Even as the weather begins to get warmer, it’s really important to ensure that your home is insulated against heat loss. It’s hardly the most glamorous job (as chief executive of Energy UK, Emma Pinchbeck, will testify!) but with a quarter of the heat lost through the roof in an uninsulated home, it’ll be the crucial one to get right.
Insulating the loft, attic or roof is a simple way to reduce heat loss and heating bills. Plus, according to the Energy Saving Trust loft insulation is effective for at least 40 years so should pay for itself many times over.
Energy-saving lighting
Make sure the energy bills see the benefit by making the most of that natural light; if users are still working from home, set up the office by a window rather than relying on electric lighting.
When users do switch on a light, make sure to remember to switch it off when they leave the room (an obvious one, but it pays off). Better yet, make sure users are using energy-saving light bulbs which require significantly less energy than normal bulbs. It's estimated that each bulb can save around 2,000 times its weight in carbon emissions during its lifespan.
Get smart
Smart meters are a new way to measure the energy users use, and they send meter readings directly to suppliers
Have users had their smart meters installed yet? All gas and electricity suppliers are currently rolling out smart meters to their customers, and So Energy is no exception.
Smart meters are an innovative new way to measure the energy users use, and they send meter readings directly to the suppliers so they no longer have to. This ensures users are billed accurately, bringing an end to estimated bills.
Smart meters
Smart meters don’t just save time, they also help save energy. Smart meters come with in-home displays (IHDs) so that users can monitor their energy usage in real-time, meaning they can see how much they’re spending and keep an eye on the appliances that use the most energy.
Energy Saving Trust estimates that home energy usage drops by 5%-15% in the first year of using a smart meter in conjunction with an IHD.