How to Save Energy at Home?
Here's some top tips!
- Make sure you turn off lights when leaving a room.
A good easy habit to develop and foster is to make sure you turn off lights when leaving a room. Remind yourself every time you leave a room and you will get into a habit of subconsciously doing so. You can save a good chunk of your monthly electricity costs by doing something as simple as this daily!
- Use LED lights.
Many homes are moving towards smart LED lights as they not only look more modern and stylish but they're more affordable and way more efficient than halogen bulbs.
- Switching to efficient appliances.
Refrigerators and dryers are two of the most energy-intensive appliances in a home, and by replacing these with better efficient models can cut your electricity usage by half, thereby reducing your electricity bills. Having heat pumps installed is another idea to reduce electricity consumption. Maintaining and replacing appliances every few years will make them have less burden on your electricity usage.
- Unplug/switch off devices.
Needless to say how important it is to unplug/switch off devices when not in use. Do not leave devices on standby but rather unplug/switch off at the plug them and save your electricity bill. Although most people think devices on standby are not using any power, research by the Energy Saving Trust (EST) estimated that between 9% and 16% of total electricity consumed in homes is used to power appliances while in standby mode! The estimated cost of leaving a television on standby overnight works out at around £24.61 with games consoles coming in at around £12.17-£11.22.
- Keep thermostat at a lower temperature.
Aim to keep your thermostat at a lower temperature - around 17-18 degrees. This can make a big difference and save your energy costs. Using a programmable smart thermostat is even better.
- Use Smart automated devices.
Smart automated devices can lower your energy bills even when you forget to. Smart automation systems will detect when you're no longer using a device and turn off the power supply.
- Use or install Double Glazing doors/windows.
Double glazing doors and windows are the perfect solution for a modern home as they can significantly reduce the emissions of greenhouse gasses from heating and cooling thereby reducing your carbon footprint and also lowering your energy bills.
- Smart Meters.
A Smart Meter is a great way to see how much power you're consuming, this will help you keep track of your consumption in real-time and let you see where you can reduce it. They are a transition to a greener and more reliable energy system. There is a major undertaking for energy providers as the roll-out of Smart Meters will see 50 million gas and electricity meters offered to 27 million homes by mid-2025.
- Solar powered devices/Solar energy.
These days you can find a solar-powered version for almost any electronic device you use in your home. Making small shifts and using more solar powered devices can go a long way and can also lower your maintenance and replacement costs of such electronics. Advantages of using solar energy will reduce your electric bill because you do not need to pay for the generated energy. It gives you control over your electricity and provides clean, renewable energy.
- Insulate and draught-proof your home.
If your home is poorly insulated you will loose heat more easily and it will be harder to keep warm. Insulation and draught-proofing to stop heat escaping around doors and windows helps trap heat. Professional draught-proofing may cost roughly about £225 the Energy Saving Trust says. However it can save about £125 a year based on a typical semi-detached home.
- Hang clothes outside instead of using the dryer.
To save energy/power, hang your clothes out to dry rather than using the dryer indoors.
- Cut down on your water usage.
Take shorter showers. Ensure you turn off taps when you don't need them while brushing your teeth, to save unnecessary water usage.
