How to Save Energy and Costs

Energy saving tips

Here are a just a few simple tips on how you can help save the planet and your own pocket by reducing the energy you consume in the home. We have separated these savings between those requiring a modest investment and those that can be achieved at no cost.

Survey on Energy Saving Issues: Please spend a minute to complete a quick survey on awareness of energy saving issues.

As a big thank you, every entry will go into our prize draw to win a restaurant voucher worth £100. Winners will be announced on the 30th June 2009 via direct email and on our website.

Energy saving tips requiring a modest investment:

HEATKEEPER Energy Saving Radiator Panels: Save £75-£200 per year. Cost recovered in less than 1 year.

HEATKEEPER Natural Wool Insulation: Save £80-100 per year. Cost recovered in 2-6 years.

Energy Saving Light Bulbs: Save £5-£10 per year. Cost recovered in 6 months
Hot Water Tank Insulation: Save £10 per year. Cost recovered in 1 year
Draught Proofing: Save £35 per year. Cost recovered in 3 years
Heating Controls: Save £50 per year. Cost recovered in 2-5 years
Double Glazed Windows: Save £40 per year. Cost recovered in 5 years
Cavity Wall Insulation: Save £130 per year. Cost recovered in 3 years
Replace Old Boiler: Save £120-£200 per year. Cost recovered in 4-5 years

And here are some no-cost energy-savings ideas:

Heating Tips
Time your heating to go off 30 minutes before you leave the house, and come on again 30 minutes before you are due to return. Turn the room thermostat down by 1º C. This can save around £30 a year. Make sure curtains or furniture are not in front of a radiator. Draw the curtains at dusk to keep heat in rooms.

Using Electrical Appliances
Switch off appliances such as microwaves, TVs, videos, stereos, and computers, as they use energy when they are left on standby. A staggering 85% of the energy used by the DVD player is consumed when it is not actually in use.
Unplug equipment e.g. mobile phones, shavers and electric toothbrushes—once they are fully charged, otherwise they will keep drawing electricity.

Refrigeration
Avoid leaving the fridge door open. Avoid putting hot or warm food straight into the fridge; allow it to cool first. Defrost your fridge regularly to keep it running efficiently and cheaply. If it seems to frost up quickly, check the door seal. It makes sense to avoid putting your fridge next to an oven or boiler. If possible, keep the freezer in a cool room.

Washing machine and dishwashers
Only wash full loads or use a half-load or economy programme. Always use a low temperature programme as modern washing powders will be just as effective. Modern dishwashers use less energy and water than washing up by hand.

Cooking
Match the size of the ring to the size of the saucepan or you will be paying to heat the air. Gas flames should only heat the bottom of the pan (not the sides)

Use a lid on saucepans, so the contents heat more quickly and you use less energy. Pressure cookers, steamers and microwaves save energy.

Tumble dryers
In summer dry your clothes outside when possible. If you are drying your clothes indoors, don’t put them over a radiator. This stops the heat from reaching the rest of the room. Try putting up a clothes rail in an unheated room, opening the window slightly to allow damp escape and shutting the door to stop heat being drawn into that room.

Hot water
Only boil as much water in the kettle as you need. In hard water areas, you need to deal with limescale to keep your kettle working efficiently for longer. At least twice a year, soak the element overnight in vinegar.
When washing up or running a bath turn the thermostat on your hot water tank down to 60c. This is a comfortable temperature for most people. An ordinary shower uses just two fifths of the water for a bath. In contrast, power showers use as much water as a bath and sometimes more.