With many of us worrying about the huge price rise in energy bills it is time to think of creative ways to keep warm and save energy at home and be kinder to the planet.
Did you know that 75% of our energy costs go on
1 – Laundry
2 – Heating water
3 – Heating our homes
Heating water
- Turn the water temperature down a notch on your boiler
- Get a water saving shower head
- Time your showers
- Run full dishwasher loads
Heat ourselves
A lot of us are used to use having the heating on high and wandering around our homes in light clothing and bare feet. But if we wrap up indoors this costs us nothing and will save us loads.
If you work from home and find you are sat for long periods of time on zoom calls you will certainly start to feel the cold if you haven’t got the heating on. We lose heat through bare heads, hands & feet so this winter consider wearing indoors some of these items to help keep you snug.
- Slippers
- Fingerless gloves
- Wrist warmers
- Wooly hats
- Vests
- Scarfs
- Heavy cardigans
- Dressing gowns
- Wrap up in blankets
- PLUS loads of thin layers.
Wearing lots of thin layers works better than just wearing one heavy jumper.
You can also make wrist warmers from old odd socks.
Stay warm in bed
Staying warm in bed is obviously essential for a good night’s sleep.
And there are lots of easy ways to heat ourselves in bed without having radiators on full blast or spending out for electric blankets.
As before, head, feet & layers are key. So to keep yourself warm :
- Wear thick socks in bed.
- Wear slippers before bed.
- Wear a wooly hat in bed.
- Layer vests & leggings with pyjamas.
- Pop a thick blanket under the bottom sheet.
- Make use of sleeping bags if you have them.
- Take a hot drink to bed with you.
- Put a hot water bottle in your bed 15 minutes before you go up.
Do open the windows and air your bedrooms quickly in the morning to break down any sweaty odours.
Insulate
Good home insulation can saves loads of energy and reduces heating bills.
- Shut ALL curtains towards the end of the day – this can cut heating loss by 15%!!
- Shut all inside doors and windows.
- Cover any air vents you may have.
- Check window latches and tighten if needed
- Use draft stoppers
Heat just a few rooms
A lot of us have got used to open plan living but these areas are big and can be costly to heat.
But if you can
- Heat fewer rooms.
- Heat smaller areas.
- Spend more time in warm rooms.
- Close doors shut on used rooms to stop heat escaping.
- Run your heating for an hour less a day.
- bleed radiators.
Turn radiators down or even off in the rooms that are less used and your boiler will work more efficiently heating key rooms quicker.
Heat rises so if you are working from home try and work upstairs and choose a sunny room.
Spend time together as a family in one room in the evenings rather than all be in separate ones.
Do less laundry
Laundry is typically 10% of household energy. 1 less laundry load a week can cut our energy use significantly. The average family does 5 laundry loads a week, try and cut back to 3 or 4 loads a week if you can.
To cut energy uses
- Run on an eco cycle if you have one
- Wash at lower temperatures
- Pre wash any stained clothing
- Run full loads
- Air dry and dry on hangers so it is less ironing resulting in less energy.
Cooking
Cooking one pot meals in a pressure cooker or slow cooker can save you energy and if you need some inspiration check out one pot wonders for delicious easy recipes.
Air fryers also use a lot less energy and there is so much you can do in them from jacket potatoes to boiled eggs. Get yourself a copy of The ultimate air fryer recipes.
- Always put lids on pans
- Only boil water you need
- Put small pans on small rings
- Use steamer with sections to cook different veg in same pan.
- Don’t keep boiling the kettle.
- Defrost the freezer regularly to prevent it from using more energy than is needed.
- Clean behind your fridge and freezer, dusty coils can trap air and create heat.
Lights
- Use energy efficient light bulbs
- Switch lights off when leaving a room
- Only use lights when needed.
- Dust bulbs regularly for efficiency
- Regularly clean light shades.
- Keep windows clean and clear allowing natural light to come in.
- Spend more time together in the evening so lighting fewer rooms.
If you are in the market for new home electrical’s invest in A RATED appliances. The better the rating the more energy efficient.
Use a smart metre to stay in control of your energy.
Check your energy tariff.
