Energy saving in the winter can be challenging but there are several ways to be cleaner with energy whilst also saving money. Here are some tips to help:
Heating your space
- If possible, turning your heating down by 1oC can cut your energy usage by 10%.
- Opt for a drying rack when drying clothes and place it close to your radiators. Using a radiator to dry clothes uses more energy as the boiler works harder to dry, so place your clothes close to it instead. If it is a sunny day, consider drying your clothes outside.
- Moving furniture away from your radiator can heat your room effectively and blocking any draughts with towels and bits of clothing will keep the heat circulating.
Be mindful about water usage
- Swap baths for showers, limiting your water usage - using a shower timer will give you an idea on how long you spend in there.
- Only filling the kettle with the water you need uses less energy to heat it, it currently costs around 82p to boil water in a kettle.
- Consider using a full load of washing when using your washing machine, making the most of the water and energy used (the same amount is still used for half a load).
- Switching the washing temperature from 40oC to 30oC will also cut your energy usage by 38% a year, but lowering to 20oc will cut your energy usage by a total of 62%!
Cut the power
- Turn off the lights in an empty room, this can save you up to £20 a year. Energy saving light bulbs can last 10 times longer than regular ones.
- Leaving devices and appliances like TV's and gaming consoles on standby still uses energy. Unplugging things like your microwave, air fryer and Wi-Fi can also save you money if you are away from home for a few days.
- Save energy when you cook by always using the similar sized pan for your hob ring and allow your food to cool down before putting it in the fridge or freezer. This means less energy is used when heating or cooling down food.
