Did you know that the second you turned back your clocks this winter, you slapped an extra £24 on your energy bill? This news, reported in The Telegraph, highlights how every little change we make at home, be it switching on our lights for an extra few hours each day, can all add up to higher costs. Proper insulation and using the most efficient appliances you can help claw back energy savings in the long term, but there are also some instant ways to take control of your spending.
You can make a start today with five fast ways for spontaneous energy savers, brought to you the EST website.
Switch off
Remembering to turn off appliances, rather than leaving them on standby, can shave up to £80 a year off your electricity bill. Don’t worry, your wireless internet router won’t suffer if you switch it off before going to bed. The same is true of most other occasional gadgets such as television sets, microwave ovens, speaker systems and the personal computer in your office.
Share the warmth
Cost-savers can take advantage of everyday activities such as cooking and showering to warm up your home that extra notch, without reaching for the central heating dial. If it’s safe for you to open your oven door wide after a batch of baking, you’ll feel the benefits of the residual warmth in adjoining rooms. The same can be said after you take a hot shower – leave the bathroom door ajar and let the warm air flow.
Release your radiators
To feel the full effect of your central heating when the temperature dips be sure to double-check the layout of your home. The simple act of uncovering a wasted radiator could let you turn the heat down by degrees. A piping hot radiator or heater should be kept clear and never hidden behind a sofa, bed head or bookcase.
Fit LED light bulbs
Popping in a new set of light bulbs in your rooms takes minutes and can show up savings on your electricity bill. LED technology lasts longer and uses up to 80 per cent less power than traditional bulbs. B&Q spokesman, Matt Sexton, told The Telegraph, that switching to LED bulbs was a sure fire way to save money and added: “We can’t change the fact that the clocks go back, we can’t change the fact that we’ll be leaving our lights on for longer, but we can change a light bulb.”
Keeping curtains closed
A simple rule of thumb to follow as soon as there’s a chill in the air is closing your curtains at dusk. Shutting out the cold, dark nights is easy and it helps keep expensive heat indoors where it belongs.
Disclosure: This post is collaboration.
