Energy costs can quickly and easily mount up, and with sharp price rises of late, many of us are searching for easy ways to save money in this respect.
Here are a few things you should try.
Insulate effectively
When we buy a house, the survey, or even the vendors often tell us about whether the property has loft insulation, for example. However, what is omitted is information about how long it has been down for and whether it is of decent quality.
Unfortunately, the materials used to insulate your home do deteriorate over time. Often, to look at, you may not notice a difference, but your energy bills may rise somewhat because of the lack of insulation efficiency.
Keep the heat in
While there is no substitute for proper insulation, there are other ways in which heat can escape your property, such as via the windows. If your double glazing is a little on the old side, it is likely that it is causing hot air to be lost easily.
Instead of going through the process of replacing the windows, which will be costly, try adjusting the length of curtains to ensure the heat rises in front of them rather than behind. When the sun is setting, close those curtains, but when the sun is shining, be sure to have curtains and blinds open to allow the natural heat to penetrate your property.
Furthermore, where draughts come in underneath doors, why not go retro with a draught excluder snake? While they might not be the most attractive of home accessories, they tend to be reasonably priced and will certainly be a conversation starter for any visitors to your home.
Reduce shower time
When the weather is becoming colder, a nice hot shower can feel like the perfect energiser on a morning. However, staying in the shower for ‘just another minute’ can add significant amounts to your energy bills. Try setting a timer on your phone or playing the same song each day to ensure you are aware of just how long you are spending under the running water.
Bleed your radiators
Non-bled radiators can be far less efficient. In fact, it has been known for people to call out heating engineers to source the problem of their lack of heat, only to discover that one of the radiators needed to be bled. A simple job that takes just a few minutes actually cost an awful lot of money. All you need is a radiator key and an old rag or tea towel and a couple of minutes. If in doubt, watch a YouTube tutorial or ask a friend to help.
Don’t stay on stand-by
The standby feature present on many household appliances these days might seem sufficient for turning off the TV, for example, on an evening. However, a significant amount of energy is still utilised by electrical items while they are on standby. Ok, so it won’t save you enormous amounts, but it will add up.
Turn off the lights
Many teenagers view their parents as energy vampires in a variety of ways. Actually, doing that regular nagging about people switching off lights when they leave a room will eventually pay off. Of course, if you have energy-saving bulbs, the saving will be a lot less, but it is significant regardless.
