Published: 22/01/2018 By Davidson Estates
A client recently came into the office asking for our help to find a new rental property. After living in her rented house for five years, she’s decided to move as her energy bills have rocketed. This got me thinking about what we can do to cut costs and be more energy efficient.After a lot of online research from several money saving and comparison sites, here are a few lifestyle changes that could save us time, money and be more energy efficient:
- Turn off standby appliances – simply turning off gadgets at the plug will save you an average of £30 a year. This include games consoles, TV’s and even phone chargers.
- Turn down your thermostat – heating and hot water accounts for almost half of our energy bills, turning down your thermostat by one degree could save you upto £60 a year. You could potentially save more money and stay toasty by keeping the heating on constantly at a lower heat rather than switching it on and off for big blasts of heat.
- Buying efficient appliances – when you’re ready to purchase new appliances, go for newer and more efficient models. It may cost a fair bit to purchase, but in the long run it’ll save you money on energy bills so it’s really worth investing in appliances with high energy efficiency ratings. Furthermore, new appliances tend to come with warranties for a set period, so you can rest assure that they will be replaced if it did breakdown.
- Cosy up – if you’re home alone, don’t be tempted to turn on the heating. Instead wear more jumpers, socks and slippers or even snuggle in bed or on the sofa with a duvet.
- Save time and multi-task – if you’re using your oven, why not make a few meals or make a bigger batch and freeze them. This makes the most of having your oven on and saves you time and money. When you’re done cooking, leave the oven door open so it can heat up the room.
- Bring me Sunshine – on a sunny day, open your curtains or blinds and let the warmth in. When the sun goes down, close them to keep the heat in.
- Be efficient with Washing
– washing at a lower temperature can save a significant amount of money. Switching from 40 degree washes to 30 degrees could save you upto £50 a year.
– Air dry your laundry rather than tumble drying it if it’s warm or windy outside - Be efficient with water
– You can save £25 by doing your washing up in a bowl rather than leave the tap running
– If you have a dishwasher, don’t waste your time or energy pre-rinsing the dishes in hot water. Let the dishwasher do all the work.
– Wasting hot water means wasting money. You have to pay for the water and cost of heating it so think twice before filling the kettle to the brim when you only need enough water to make one hot drink. - Draught proof your home – block cracks in the floor and skirting boards, use draught excluders for doors and line the letterbox to contain the heat in your home.
- Compare suppliers – there are many comparable sites available to help you find the right supplier, tariff and payment plan that suits your needs. Switching to a direct debit pay plan for example, can save you as much as £250 a year.
- Install a new boiler – upgrading from a G rated boiler to an A-rated condensing boiler with a programmer, room thermostat and thermostatic radiator controls will see savings of upto £320 a year.
- Insulate your home – you could save at least 15% on your fuel bills by insulating cavity walls or 19% by loft insulation.
- Install free solar panels
- Invest in double or even triple glazing – it keeps in heat and blocks out the noise.