Whether you aim to live a greener lifestyle, or you want to save money - energy saving is something we all should take seriously says Sarah Flower. Here is a reminder of what we should all be doing to keep gas and electricity costs low.
Become a monitor
You can purchase electricity monitors for as little as £35. Seeing the monitor reading accelerate every time you use your kettle is a great incentive not to overfill.
First:utility are one of the first energy suppliers to offer a smart meter. The smart meter allows customers to see what, when and where they are using their energy. This information is fed back to first:utility every 30 minutes to ensure accurate bill readings, and with three daily tariffs, consumers can choose tariffs that suit their energy consumption.
Tariff Right
Are you on the right Tariff for you? You may find Economy 7 or Economy 10 will suit if you use most of your electricity at night. Duel Energy Tariffs are great if you get your electricity and gas from the same supplier. You could save of up to £400 a year by opting for an online tariff, with added discounts for online paperless billing and direct debits. You could opt for fixed price tariffs – be careful you don’t set yourself at a price when other companies are lowering theirs.
To Switch or not to Switch
Use comparison sites such as uswitch.com, energyhelpline.com or switchwithwhich.co.uk& to find the best deal in your area. However, there is a right time and a wrong to switch. If you are unsure, visit moneysavingexpert.com. If you are looking for a green energy provider, have a look at greenenergyswitch.com.
Turn down the heat
Turning down your thermostat by just 1°C could save you £30 per year.
Say goodbye to your old boiler
If your boiler is over ten years old, you are probably wasting a huge amount of energy. According to Northern Gas Heating Company, around 60% of CO2 emissions from your home are down to your boiler. With an efficient new boiler, you could save up to 875kg of CO2 and £130 a year and a new condensing boiler could cut gas bills by nearly 40 per cent or £150 per year for a typical semi-detached house. Add in a full set of heating controls as well as a new boiler, and you could increase the total savings to around £250 and 1.7 tonnes of CO2 a year.
Wrap up
We all moan about our heating bills but how many of us have the heating on and walk around in t-shirts. By wearing more clothes you can save pounds on unnecessary heating costs. Using the same principle, wrap up your home. If you are on benefits or over 60, you may be eligible for an Energy Efficiency Grant. Contact the Energy Saving Trust on 0800 512 012 or visit est.org.uk.
• Install insulation, especially in the loft, around immersion heater and cavity walls. You can save an estimated £200 a year. Visit thinkinsulation.com for more tips and advice.
• Placing heat reflectors behind radiators will throw heat back into your room, with an estimated 25% more heat.
• If you don’t have double-glazing, why not opt for secondary double-glazing.
• Make the most of your radiators and heaters. Make sure they are not obscured by furniture or covered by furnishings. Never put clothing or items on your radiators to dry.
Crafty Drafty
You have insulated and wrapped up your home but you may still have some problem draft areas.
• Install thick door curtains and heavy curtains in main rooms to keep heat in. It also helps if you close the curtains at dusk.
• Fit draft excluders around doors and windows.
• One of the biggest problem areas are unused fireplaces. The chimney balloon costs £19.99 and is simple yet clever device. Simply inflate the balloon to block the chimney cavity. Unlike the cheaper alternative of stuffing the chimney with newspaper, the chimney balloon will shrivel and deflate if accidently heated. Buy from chimney-balloon.co.uk.
• Close doors to keep heat in the rooms. If there is still a draft, why not make a draft excluding sausage dog out of scrapes of fabric.
• If you have sash windows that rattle and can’t afford to replace them, you could opt for secondary double glazing. If you can’t afford these changes, you can revert to the traditional draft excluding techniques. Place newspaper in the gaps of the sash windows and carefully seal edges with masking tap (as this can be easily taken off in the summer months).
Paint that keeps you warm
Really, I am not going mad. Insulating paint additive, ThermilateTM is a powder that makes paint insulate! According to thegogreencompany.com, the microspheres within the powder act as mini thermos flasks. ThermilateTM powder is mixed with ordinary paint (one pack mixes into 5 litres of paint) to make an insulating coating that can keep heat in or out. Ideal for insulating buildings, rooms, water tanks and even hot or cold water pipes. Priced at only £19.95, I think this is well worth the money.
Stand up to Standby
Standby uses a shocking amount of electricity. Get used to turning things off at the mains.
Leaving items on standby can cost:
• DVD Players from £1 – £4.50 per year
• DVD Recorders from £2 – £14 per year
• Freeview Boxes from £3.50 – £15.50 per year
• Computer Monitors from £30 per year
• Printer from £15 per year
• Microwave from £7 per year
• Cooker from £7 per year
• Cordless phones from £8 per year
• Stereo from £10 per year
• Windscreen plasma TV’s use more electricity than a fridge freezer.
• PC, Printer, Scanner, Router and Speakers cost £240.90 a year to power if on every day, according to efergy.com
If, like me, you have your DVD, Sky Box, and TV on one extension lead – why not opt for a device that automatically turns them all off. I use the One for All ‘Energy Saver’ universal remote control (costs £34.99 from Electrical outlets). With an estimated saving of up to 90%, it will pay for itself in no time.
Light up your life
We spend 10% of our energy bills on lighting. Energy efficient bulbs can save £10 per bulb per year.
• Get in to the habit of turning lights off when leaving a room.
• Remove net curtains and clean windows and skylights to make the most of the natural light.
• Use timer switches or sensor switches to keep lighting to a minimum.
• Paint your walls with bright light reflecting colours.
• Clever use of mirrors will help lighten dark areas of a room or hallway.
• Candles create a relaxing and intimate atmosphere – and if scented, can help keep your home smelling sweet.
The Big Freeze
To help your fridge or freezer run more efficiently:
• Replace your plug with gadgets such as the SavaPlug will help reduce electricity consumption by up to 20%.
• Defrost your fridge and freezer regularly.
• Keep your fridge and freezer at least three quarters full. If you have a large chest freezer and cannot fill it with food, place cardboard boxes or rolled up newspaper to help fill it up.
• Do not leave the fridge or freezer door open longer than necessary
• Make sure the door seals are working correctly
• Do not place warm or hot food into the fridge or freezer – allow the food to cool first.
• Keep air circulating around the fridge or freezer, particularly around the condenser coils at the back. Clear the condensers of dust regularly as dust can reduce efficiency by up to 25%.
The Great British Cuppa
We all enjoy our cuppa, but kettles use a huge amount of electricity. Buy the most energy efficient kettle you can. Kenwood have a great eco kettle, which reduces consumption by up to 35%, or you could opt for the one cup machines (Tefal and Breville offer these). They use the same amount of electricity as a standard kettle but for a much shorter period – 6 seconds per cup as opposed to 2 minutes in a kettle.
Cook with Savvy
Make use of your oven. I have some great memories of my mum and I spending our Sunday mornings baking whilst also preparing the Sunday roast. We would bake cakes, pies and pastries to last us the whole week, making the most of the oven space. Whenever I use my oven, I always make sure I fill the shelves well and utilise the heat. There are some great gadgets on the market to help save on oven costs. I love the JML Halogen Oven. It cuts electricity costs and reduces cooking time.
Be on the boil
Never heat a pan of water from cold. If you need hot water for cooking, use the kettle to heat this, not the stovetop. This will save time and energy.
Buy wisely
When you need to replace your old appliance, remember to buy the most energy efficient model available. Look at the star rating for more information. It may cost you a few pounds more but think of the long-term savings.
Sarah Flower’s book ‘“Live More, Spend Less”:http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/1905862342?ie=UTF8&tag=thegrepar-21&linkCode=as2&camp=1634&creative=19450&creativeASIN=1905862342’ is published by Spring Hill, an imprint of How To Books Ltd and is available at £9.99 in major bookshops and online retailers across the country.
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