6 Simple Tips To Help You Use Less Energy at Home

We’ve all seen the alarming increases in how much we’re paying out each month. From the weekly grocery shop to petrol pumps, prices seem like they’ve shot up over the last few months and with energy bills increasing too, many of us are starting to feel the pinch.

Finding simple, but effective ways to cut down on your energy use then is not only great for the environment, but it will also help you save a few pounds too and lets face it, a few extra pounds here and there quickly start to add up!

Read on for some easy, actionable tips to help you use less energy at home.

1. Turn that thermostat down

Experts say that by turning your thermostat down by just 1 degree, you can save £100 or even more a year on your heating bills. That’s a saving not to be sniffed at and the good news is, you probably won’t even notice it!

Now that the days are finally getting warmer, we’re relying on central heating less and less, if at all, but remember that heating your water is still going to have a big impact on your energy use, so even if you’ve switched off the central heating by now, you’ll still want to get the thermostat dialed down to reap the benefits.

2. Turn off the radiators

Depending on your heating system and the programme that you have it on, throughout Spring, cooler days can lead to your heading still coming on when the interior of your home drops below a certain temperature.

To make sure you aren’t heating rooms unnecessarily, ensure you turn down/off radiators in rooms that you use less frequently, for example guest bedrooms or in the kitchen that will generally be quite warm enough when the family is milling around or the cooker is in use.

3. Avoid using standby mode

Did you know that just 1 TV or games console can waste over £16 of electricity in one year whilst turned ‘off’ and in standby mode? Many electrical items these days never really turn off when you hit the off button, instead they go into more like a idle waiting mode. During their ‘sleeping’ time, they are still drawing power and costing you money.

To avoid this happening, turn electrical appliances like TVs, games consoles and PCs off at the wall when you are not using them, instead of just relying on the ‘off’ button on the devices remote control.

If you were to add up all of the electrical items in your home that still draw power even when not in use, you might find you could save £50 or more every year, and it all adds up!

4. Dry your laundry outside

One of the lovely simple pleasures of spring and summertime is being able to ditch the tumble dryer and naturally line dry clothes. For items like jeans, this is actually much better for them and leaves the cotton fibres less likely to shrink as a result of the extreme heat tumble drying generates.

Go old school and select your laundry days based on the weather. When you get a dry, warm and breezy day, that’s the best time to launder your bed sheets, towels and other bulky items that would otherwise take many hours to dry in the tumble dryer.

5. Make use of energy saving modes

Large appliances like dishwashers, washing machines and tumble dryers all come with “eco” modes these day. Eco-friendly cycles however aren’t always the first choice as they generally take so much longer and it can seem counter intuitive that something that takes much longer than a standard cycle could actually use less energy!

Never fear though, despite your eco cycle taking a glacially long time (bringing with it a minor inconvenience) they have been carefully designed to use less energy/water than a standard cycle, so whenever possible, do take advantage of eco mode on any appliances that you have.

6. Turn off the lights

Many of us have been working from home for many months now and have perhaps got more used to having lights on throughout the day. As the days lengthen and continue to get brighter, make sure you’re making the most of natural light.

First thing in the morning when your alarm goes off, instead of reaching for the bedside table lamp, throw open curtains and blinds and let natural light flood in. The lighting you do use, make sure you switch to more energy efficient LED bulbs which can last several years longer than traditional bulbs, and they use far less energy whilst in use too!!

So there you have it, 6 easy ways to moderate your home energy use and keep your costs down as much as possible. To get the longest life possible out of your clothes and to avoid those pesky little holes developing in tops, check out Holé jean button covers which have been specially designed to help protect and prolong the life of your clothing.