How to Make Your Home More Energy Efficient
Whatever the season, we always seem to find something to complain about.
We find ourselves moaning about the heat in Summer, the coldness in Winter and the other seasons? Well… they’re just not right either! With the UK’s weather getting more and more unpredictable, isn’t it about time we prepared our homes and made them more energy efficient? As well as this, the cost of living, wherever you are located, is slowly creeping up. It’s so important that we save money and energy wherever we can.
How can we make our homes cost effective and energy efficient without installing wind turbines in our back gardens or by using up too much time and effort? Some of the steps we can take to reduce our carbon footprint and to save energy can literally take seconds. If we all did this, imagine all the energy we’d prevent from being wasted! From simply turning off a switch to opening curtains during the day, it all makes a huge amount of difference.
- Monitor your energy usage.
How do you heat up your home? Being greener when it comes to your energy usage is important. Getting the right information on different gas or heating oil prices can guide you in the right direction when reducing your energy costs and saving money. Saying this, try to reduce the amount of time you use heating and put on a few layers when it gets a little chilly inside!
- Consider solar panels.
Installing solar panels doesn’t mean covering your entire house in the things. Even though they can be expensive initially, they eventually will pay for themselves and have a whole host of benefits to boot. You’ll save tonnes of money on energy bills and they’re very low maintenance. You may even forget they are there! Energy saving and convenient.
- Open your curtains.
It’s too easy to just flick that light switch when you’re popping into the living room first thing in the morning. However, using that energy to power your lights for 20 minutes all adds up, and you are doing more harm than good. Getting into the habit of turning on the lights only when it’s pitch black outside and opening curtains and blinds in the day will not only save energy but will keep your house warmer during the day. Thank you, Sun!
- Turn off electricals.
Electricals eat up energy and turning off the kettle after a brew is one of the things we all forget to do at some point. Big and small appliances such as televisions and microwaves should be turned off and unplugged when not in use. Doing so will reduce the amount of energy you use massively, and your electricity bill will thank you for it!
- Energy efficient windows.
Changing to energy efficient windows reduces loss of heat and brings fewer draughts into the home. They’re not only great for conserving heat, they’re also pretty handy when keeping out external noise. Alternatively, sealing your windows with weatherstripping or fixing any gaps is a good, inexpensive way to lower your energy usage and costs.
- Microwaves are the future!
Studies show that microwaves use less energy than the stove when it comes to cooking your meals. Making the switch can really reduce your carbon footprint! Also, when using an oven, it’s important to keep that door closed. Try to resist the temptation to breathe in the delicious smells or to admire your creations until you take it out of the oven. Your oven won’t have to work as hard if you do!
- Insulate your attic.
In winter especially, heat energy in your home rises and flows through your ceilings to the attic. That’s where you lose your heat if you haven’t got the right insulation! Losing heat means constantly churning out more heat energy to keep your house warm, wasting more energy. Insulating your attic will keep in that rising heat, ensuring your house stays cosy for longer.
- Wash and dry clothes efficiently!
Depending on your family size, you may find yourself constantly washing and drying clothes with no escape. Make sure you do it the right way! Washing machines and tumble dryers are some of the main energy sucking culprits around. Instead of your tumble dryer working all hours to dry your clothes, consider air drying your clothes on a clothesline instead if you can. Also, using a cooler temperature when cleaning your clothes saves energy too, without compromising on cleanliness.
Saving energy is essential and taking into account all of these points can help save money and stress in the long run. Our current energy usage is having a negative impact on the world today, so it’s more important than ever to do our part for the environment and save ourselves a little energy too.
