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Environmentally kind ideas: Saving energy - and money - in the home!

Quickfind

Lighting Heating & hot water Washing In the kitchen General Outside

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In the house

Lighting

Turn off lights in empty rooms. In fact, turn off any electrical appliance when not in use

Use low energy bulbs where possible. - especially where lights need to be on for long periods

A light-coloured room  can use a lower wattage bulb than a dark room

Place lights to give illumination where needed, rather than using a powerful light the other side of a room to light a dark corner


Heating & Hot Water

Turn the heating down and wear a jumper 

Balance the central heating system radiators for the room temperatures you want. This can easily be done by trial and error setting of the valves, or using individual thermostatic radiators valves

Use your thermostat(s) keep the temperature at an even level

Keep the heating system properly maintained - get the boiler regularly serviced and bleed your radiators when necessary.

Try not to obstruct radiators with things like furniture - especially large items.

Draw you curtains in the evening to keep heat in. In unused rooms, consider keeping them closed unless the Sun heats the room. Where heat and light from outside can warm the room, leave curtains open in the day.

Fit thermal curtain liners or thermal curtains

Don't cover radiators with curtains- tuck the curtains behind.

Fit radiator shelves to deflect heat into the room. (Provides a display shelf, too.)

Use the timer on the heating system - there may be no point heating a house if no-one is there. Don't let the house freeze, though!

Keep the boiler temperature a degree lower. 60 deg C is hot enough

Eliminate drafts (but allow adequate ventilation for safety)   Use brush or PVC seals on your exterior doors.

Ensure that your hot water tank is insulated and any open hot water pipes


Washing

Use the washing machine fully loaded - same for the dishwasher, too. If you cant, then use an economy setting. Use the economy setting anyway!  

Low temperatures not only cost less, but are kinder to both clothes and dishes. But not in the same machine.

Don't put seriously wet clothes straight into a tumble dryer. Its better to wring or spin them first. 

Replace defunct appliances with energy class A new  ones

Don't run hot (or cold!) water unnecessarily. Especially, don' wash under a running tap - it's money down the drain. Literally.

Shower rather than bath - much less energy is used - about 60% less. But do either rather than neither!

 

Using your washing machine at night could save you money and using energy during quiet times means less power generation is required nationally.


In the Kitchen

Only boil as much water as you need, or the minimum the kettle needs. Always cover the element. 

Don't leave fridge or freezer doors open any longer than necessary

Periodically check the fridge door seal. A common feature of a poorly behaving fridge is poor sealing due to a door misalignment

Ensure there are no bad seals in or on the fridge!

Keep the fridge adequately defrosted

Don't put warm food into the fridge - let it cool first

Avoid putting the fridge next to a heat source like the oven or a radiator

Keep the milk in the fridge and the corn-flakes in a cupboard, not the other way round

Get old fridges properly disposed of - don't release greenhouse gases by improper disposal

Defrost food before cooking where practical. It not only saves energy but you are less likely to end up with a raw centre.Devilled Kidneys.

Choose the correct size pan and keep lids on when cooking. A pan's base should just cover the cooking ring. It is wasteful to heat the side of the pan as most heat there misses the pan. It could damage the pans, too, especially if they have plastic or wooden panhandles.

 Don't cook with Pans like this!

As with a kettle, don't use more water than you need  - it uses more energy and also can spoil the food. As can using too much salt, but that's a different problem.

Pressure cookers and slow cookers are kind to energy bills

The time an oven takes to heat up is not helped by setting a higher temperature; setting it too high only wastes money

Heating up a small oven takes less energy that heating a large one

Don't wear the amusing "bra and panties" apron when cooking. It should only be worn at barbeques.


General

Don't let taps drip - especially hot ones! Get them fixed.

Letterboxes and keyholes both let in the cold - brush seals or a spring flap are good additions for your  letterbox, and a cover for the keyhole.

Make sure your loft is insulated. Heat rises and the loft is the major area of heat loss

Replacing a 15 year or more old boiler could save you energy, possibly over 20% on your fuel bills - 30+% if you install a condensing boiler and up to 40% with good heating controls.

33% of the heat in your home on average is lost through the walls. If you can, get wall insulation

20% of the heat in your home on average is lost through single glazed and/or poorly insulated window frames. Double glazing could halve this value

Buy electricity from renewable source vendors

 


Don't use the car for small journeys. Cold engines are inefficient.

If choosing a car, choose a low emissions one and one suited to your needs

Join a car-share scheme for getting to and from work, and take it in turns to provide the transport. 

Choosing a yellow car with red seats will make you look like Noddy

Use public transport where practical

Walk or cycle - not only will you save money but you will become fitter, too.

If you use outdoor halogen bulbs, use 300W rather than 500W. Or use a sodium lamp. Do you need the lamp at all?

If you must water your garden, do it at night when there is less evaporation

Use rain water for the garden rather than tap water

If you can tap water, it's probably ice!

 

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