Save money around the home by going green
No one likes paying huge sums for electricity, gas and water. It is just in our nature to get angry every time an envelope containing a bill drops through the letterbox. But fear not, there are plenty of ways that we can reduce the amount of energy we use at home, do our bit for the environment, and in the end, save money on those blasted bills.
Insulate
Now, obviously you can start to save energy by ensuring lights are switched off and electrical appliances are unplugged when not in use, but one of the best ways to save energy and money is to insulate your home. Obviously there can be a substantial initial outlay to get the work done, but once your home is well insulated you will save mega bucks off of your heating bills.
If you don’t want to get your entire home insulated with foam then there are a few other methods you can use. These can include simple things like putting draught excluders in your letterbox and at the bottom of your door, or getting an insulating jacket for your hot water tank. These are quite cheap (roughly £10) and can reduce heat loss by up to 75%, meaning you will be spending less money on wasted heat.
Double Glazing
Again, this is an expensive purchase, but just like insulation, once it is done you will notice the difference. Double glazing will increase the insulation to your home on colder days meaning you won’t need to use your heating as much, which saves you money and contributes to saving the planet.
Double glazing isn’t just a fantastic money saving invention which helps to save the planet from climate change, it also helps you sleep that little bit better at night. Seeing as it is thicker, double glazing keeps morte sound out, making bedtime even more enjoyable.
Know how much electricity you are using
This may seem like a strange piece of advice, but if you work out how much energy you are using then you can also work out how much energy you are saving. And if you can actually see the impact your new lifestyle is having on your bills it will spur you on to maintain your green efforts.
You may think that there’s no way to know how much energy you’re actually using but there are handy little devices that can change that. Go get yourself an Electrisave. Its small portable screen can go anywhere in your home and it shows you instantly how much electricity you are using. Simply turning off sources of wasted electricity (like chargers and TVs) can deliver you a £50 a year saving as well as taking 250kg CO2 a year off your footprint.
Solar panels
Another option to make your home even more green is to install solar panels. Yes, we appreciate that the initial costs can be quite high, however, after a couple of years they will begin to pay for themselves. Even in a country like England, where the weather is seldom sunny, solar panels can still be an effective source of energy.The Energy Saving Trust estimates a typical home is likely to reduce its annual electricity bill by £90. On top of this, British Gas estimates an average household can earn £877 per year from the government feed-in tariff scheme. So there are certainly a number of cracking benefits to going solar!
Do the little things
When it comes to saving energy, it is all the little things that matter. The things on the list below may not help save much energy on their own, but if you do half of them, or all of them, then you will really see a difference.
So, here are some small things that will make a big difference to your bills:
- Don’t leave appliances on standby
- Keep your fridge and freezer full
- Only boil as much water as you need
- Turn your thermostat down by 1 degree
- Wash your laundry at lower temperatures
- Switch off lights when a room is not in use
- Use the washing line instead of the tumble dryer
- Unplug chargers and power supplies when not in use
- Shower instead of bathing
- Only use the washing machine when you have a full load to wash
- Defrost your freezer regularly to keep it running at top performance
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