Wastage. It’s something we all try avoid in our households. Leftovers from dinner get wrapped up and put in the fridge, taps are always turned off when they have been used. Nothing is wasted, and it saves you money too. Some friends of ours even “double dip” their tea bags…
So why do so many people go to all that effort to save money and prevent wastage and then, day after day, waste their earnings left, right and centre by allowing their electricity bills to spiral unnecessarily?
It’s often a case of ‘out of sight, out of mind’. After all, you can’t see piles of wasted electricity in the same way as you can a pile of leftovers in the bin or water gushing from a tap, but it is there. The only indication you receive is when the bill hits your doormat – and of course by then it’s too late to do anything other than pay – often more than you need. In fact, the World Energy Council believe that being energy efficient in buildings could result in energy savings of up to 40{5dfef5ee4bdb9e4ccd342f82740f8c4bc135a5cd1b195e83ba9a769acb7c5569} for the “standard” household.
Interestingly for many homes summer is the time where most electricity is wasted. It’s the time of the year when we normally need the least electricity but often our usage habits don’t haven’t changed from the colder months.
Help is at hand though to enable you to keep those kilowatt hours down however. There are a number of surprisingly easy ways to save money on electricity consumption throughout the year so that you have more left in the household budget for when you really need it – ie. winter.
It all starts by taking a look at how you consume electricity in your home. Look around at your appliances in the kitchen, the utility room and the living room. Think about how you heat you do actually your home in the winter (and the ‘cooler’ summer months!!).
With all this in mind, we’ve put together a few simple and actionable tips to help you save money on your household electricity bills. Take a look and see for yourself where you can make savings straight away.
- See the light: Remember when your parents told you to switch off lights when they weren’t required? They had a point. By switching off lights when they’re not needed you’ll save money – and by using energy-efficient lightbulbs you stand to save more money still. They may cost a little more than regular lightbulbs but they’ll more than pay for themselves many times over in terms of saved electricity. As odd as it sounds people often turn lights on as a matter of habit (especially in summer) rather than because they need to.
- Wash wisely: When it comes to doing the dishes and cleaning your clothes, use the economy cycle settings on your dishwasher and washing machine respectively. And wait until you have a full load to wash too. You’ll still get great quality washes without having your wallet cleaned out in the process.
- Think before you drink: By filling the kettle with just the amount you intend to drink, (rather than overfilling it) you can dramatically cut the amount of energy used every time you make a cuppa.
- Turn it off! Our lives are at a constant “on” position TV’s and mobile chargers always plugged in and on standby. Flicking off electrical devices off – and not leaving them on standby will save a whole pile of cash
- Shower-wise is power-wise: A shower uses much less energy than a bath. Much less water too, in fact. A five-minute shower in comparison to a soak in the bath is far more energy efficient.
- Fire up your savings: Heating your living room using a fireplace in the winter months can save you huge amounts on your bills when compared to electric and gas heating options. And it is the same in summer too, often when the British summer does it’s thing and the temp just drops a degree or ten, many people head to the central heating and end up spending money on keeping the entire house warm – when what they actually needed was just a bit of heat in the room they are sat in – flick on your fire!
In fact, while we are at it installing a fireplace in your home can bring about many more benefits than just saving you money on your bills. They’re beautiful to look at, and can increase the value of your home too.
At Embers Heating Studio in Derby we have a huge range of high quality fireplaces, fires and stoves for you to choose from. Give us a call on 01332 242299, email info@embersheatingstudio.co.uk or pop in to our studio to see what we have on offer. Our fireplace specialists will be only too happy to advise you on the right fireplace for you, your home and your budget.
In the meantime, try out our electricity saving tips and see how you get on.