How to save energy around the home

In this climate of economic uncertainty and environmental imbalance, saving energy in the home is absolutely essential. Not only will you be helping to save the environment but you will also be saving yourself a lot of money by being more energy conscious.

There are so many ways to save energy around the home.

The first and most obvious way of saving energy around the home is to switch things off when you are not using them. Switch them off at the plug and do not just leave them on standby. According to a study by the Lawrence Berkley National laboratory, household appliances left on standby account for approximately 1% of global CO2 emissions.

Cavity wall insulation is an excellent way of saving energy but many people are put off due to the cost. But according to British energy company Npower the cost will be recouped within two years. Cavity wall insulation will not only save around 750 kg of CO2 per year but can also save you around £100 per year on your heating bill. And the bigger your heating bill normally is, the more savings you will be able to make!

Switch to energy efficient bulbs, according to a study by Directgov replacing all of the bulbs in your house with energy efficient bulbs could save you £25 per year because they use 75% less energy than their counterparts.

Putting shelves above your radiators can help deflect heat back into the room which will prevent it from escaping through windows or doors. Also if you fit thermostatic valves to each radiator then you can control the temperature setting in each room according to your needs.

Have your boiler checked to see if it is energy efficient, a study conducted by Npower showed that a boiler that was not working to its full efficiency wastes over a quarter of the energy it uses. Replacing an old, inefficient boiler with an efficient, A-rated one could save a huge amount of energy and up to £225.

Try to dry your washing naturally, tumble dryers use an incredible amount of energy because they have to come to such a high temperature. If you need to have a tumble dryer then it is worth purchasing an energy efficient one.

There are also many simple things that you can do to save energy around the home such as only using the amount of water you need when you are boiling the kettle. Cooking with the lids on your saucepans and matching the size of the saucepan to the ring so you are not heating air.

Simple changes like these can make for huge savings and a much smaller carbon footprint.