The easy guide to saving energy
The easy guide to saving energy
As the cost of energy, whether electricity or gas, continues to rise, we are all taking steps to reduce our use and therefore lower our utility bills. But it can be confusing. There are all sorts of things you can do to cut consumption, with some being simpler than others.
For the easy guide to saving on energy use and cost in the home, read on. You could save money and help the planet.
Know how much you use
The first thing you need to do is to be aware of how much energy you use. You may think that you are already quite economical, but when you check you may get a nasty surprise. Go through your recent energy bills and get an idea of when you use the most. You can also get a monitor which shows you in real time how much electricity is being used – boiling the kettle, turning on the computer, charging the mobile etc all add up. And be sure to take your own meter reading regularly so that you are paying the correct amount.
Check your bills
Whenever you get a bill analyse it carefully. You should consider whether you are paying only for what you use (if the reading is an estimate then take one yourself) and if the same usage would be cheaper with a different supplier. Use a comparison website to assess whether you could be saving money by switching. This is well worth your time.
Reduce your use
Next up, it is time to make concerted efforts to lower how much energy you use. Every small change will add up, so be sure to always turn lights off when leaving a room, switch electrical appliances off at the plug when not in use, keep heating use as low as possible and so on. Make sure that every member of the family is on board with lowering energy use and that you get into the habit of saving energy every single day – this is how you will get the biggest savings.
Think energy
To kick-start your energy saving why not take a walk through each room in your house and assess where you can make changes. Open windows or draughty doors can work against your central heating; LED lightbulbs use a lot less energy than filament ones; TVs and computers on standby all the time use a surprising amount of electricity.
Categories: Energy Saving
