Improving the energy efficiency in your home and cutting down on those energy expenses doesn’t always mean you have to buy the latest appliances or gadgets. By simply changing the way you use certain items in your home, you can get much more use out of them and much more value for money at the same time.
Cold Water Washes
Where possible, wash your clothes in cold water. This means that your washing machine does not have to use extra energy to heat the water, and your clothes will still be clean at the end. This may not be as effective for heavily stained clothes or fabrics, but for a regular wash, using cold water is an effective and energy efficient tactic.
High-Efficiency Bulbs
Compact fluorescent lamps (CFL) are the latest innovation in low energy, high-efficiency lighting. Compared to the traditional 60 watt bulbs, CFLs use up to 75% less energy, which is a staggering amount. Studies have shown that the energy saved annually with the use of CFLs is equivalent to lighting 3 million homes, and preventing the greenhouse gas emissions equivalent to those of 800,000 cars. CFLs are available from most homeware stores and by installing these in your home or business, you will soon reap the financial rewards.
Use Lids on Pots and Pans
An incredibly simple, technology-free energy hack that will increase your efficiency by a surprising amount. Leaving the lids on pans when boiling water or food speeds up the time it takes for the water to be boiled, meaning the flame or hob needs to be turned on at a lower strength, for less time.
Avoid Standby Mode
Although very useful and time saving when it comes to switching on appliances like TVs, set top boxes and games consoles, standby mode consumes a significant amount of energy, even if it is a considerably smaller amount than when the appliances are left on. If you consider that you may leave your TV on standby when you leave for work in the morning, that is a full day of the TV still using power, even though nobody is watching it. Turn appliances like this off at the wall to save your electricity.
Air Drying Clothes
Using a dryer to get your clothes dry quickly is obviously a very attractive option, but dryers use a large amount of energy. Find a place where there is enough space for a clothes rack, hang your clothes on it and let the natural air dry them. On hot days, a clothesline outdoors is even more effective! This will take longer than using a dryer, possibly even overnight for items like bedsheets, but you will immediately notice the
energy you save.
This post is brought to you by VHL.co.uk, experts in central heating & property maintenance in London.