2. Source
Thanks to rising gas and electricity bills, saving energy in the home has
never been more paramount. Reducing your home’s overall energy
output can actually see you reaping the rewards through lowered energy
bills, therefore it comes as no surprise that homeowners across the
nation are taking small steps to saving energy in the home.
From changing how you bathe and wash your clothes, to simply changing
your central heating pump – there are a number of short and long term,
cost effective changes you can make in your home to save energy in
2013.
Here are just a few simple and affordable ways that you can save energy
in your home and enjoy great savings on your energy bills as a result:
3. Cut Down on Phantom Loads
‘Phantom Loads’ is the term given to energy that any appliance
consumes when it isn’t turned on. This can be energy that is drawn from
devices such as televisions or laptops when they go into the standby
mode. To cut down on this unnecessary energy consumption, simply
unplug electronic devices and appliances at the wall.
Wash Economically
Many washing machines come with the setting of an ‘economy
wash’, this setting usually lowers the temperature down to 30°C, the
lowest possible wash temperature. An economy wash allows you to save
on energy bills as a lower temperature is required, however remember
to choose a special detergent which will effectively clean your clothes
even at lower temperatures.
4. Take Showers, not Baths
A 2011 study on water consumption in the home found that an average 8
minute shower uses 62 litres of hot water, while the average bath used 80
litres. Taking shorter showers rather than baths can help to reduce your
home’s water consumption while also reducing the amount of hot water you
require – meaning that your home’s central heating pump will operate for a
shorter amount of time, helping to save on those energy bills.
Check your Home’s Circulator Pump
Speaking of heating, the majority of homes have heating circulator pumps
installed, The purpose of this pump is to take warm water from the boiler
and then circulate it around the home before returning cold water back to
the boiler to be heated. Guidelines were recently introduced to ensure that
only the most energy efficient of heating pumps are to be used, therefore
swapping a current inefficient pump, generally a D-Labelled pump, for an
energy efficient A-Labelled circulator pump will see you saving up to 80% on
your heating system’s energy output.
