This is a collaborative post.
There are many simple ways you can save energy and money without anyone else in your household even realising you are doing these things. Utility bills are one of the largest costs for UK families so any ways of making them smaller has to be worth considering.
Use Cold Washes For Laundry
Anything that has to heat up uses the most electricity, your washing machine included. Washing powders and liquids work just as well in cold water as they do in hot so save yourself the cost of your washing machine heating up. You and none of the family will notice any difference. Your washing will be just as clean at a lower cost.
Portable Radiators
Electric radiators, which you can get from electric radiators direct, have the advantage of being very energy efficient. Some of them can even be moved around so that you are only heating the parts of the home that are in use. Lower the thermostat on them slightly and no one will notice, but you will save money, and utilise their timers so that there are only one when needed and you will be surprised how much your bills come down. Yes, they are an upfront expense, but over the years, they will save you so much.
Turn Off Standby
The standby mode on appliances costs between £40 and £50 a year for each one. Just wander around your home and see how many things are left in standby overnight. You may be shocked at the amount of money they are costing you just for the sake of turning them off completely.
Stop Wasting Water
It is very easy to waste water without realising it. For instance, a water-saving showerhead can reduce your water bills by as much as £75 a year. A shower timer can make a difference if you use it to reduce the time spent under the water by just one minute. If you are washing up in the sink, use a bowl instead. You will use less water this way, and find it is easier to rinse the suds off the dishes.
Lighting
Change your lights to LED, which you can get from LED Hut. They can reduce the cost of your lighting by up to 80%. They last for many years longer as well so do not need replacing so often. LED has now far surpassed the use of incandescent and fluorescent lights, with even large organisations and governments using them.
Keeping It Simple
The are other simple things you can do such as only boiling enough water in the kettle for two cups if that is what you need. Kettles are one of the ways that many households waste money as often the kettle is filled when it is not necessary.
Turn off lights in rooms not being used, hang thicker curtains to reduce the drafts from windows and talk to your energy supplier to see if you can get a better deal. There are much bigger things you can do as well such as insulating your home and installing double-glazing, but the simple things mentioned above are a start to making your home more energy efficient and saving you some money on your utility bills.
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