Save money on
your energy bill

 

Energy  Saving

SHINE London have compiled a list of our top energy saving tips that are easy to do and you can do at home to save yourself energy, money and help reduce your carbon footprint.

Staying warm

  • Turning your thermostat down by just 1°C can save you as much as £60 per year.
  • Turning down Thermostatic Radiator Valves so you are only heating occupied rooms.
  • Wearing more jumpers, socks and slippers around the house, and putting an extra blanket on the bed, means you won’t be tempted to turn the heating up.
  • Draught-proofing around windows and doors could save you around £25 per year. Draught-free homes are comfortable at lower temperatures – so you may be able to turn down your thermostat saving even more on your energy bills.

Saving hot water

  • A running tap wastes more than six litres of water a minute, so turn off the tap while brushing your teeth, shaving, or washing your face. Use cold water if you don’t need hot.
  • If everybody in a family of four replaced one bath a week with a five-minute shower, up to £25 a year could be saved on gas bills and up to £15 on water bills (if you have a water meter).
  • If a family of four replace their inefficient shower head with a water efficient one, they could save around £75 off their gas bills and around £120 off their water bills (if they have a water meter) each year. That’s a total saving of around £195.
  • Using a washing up bowl to wash up plates or cutlery twice a day rather than having the hot tap running could save around £25 a year on your gas bill and about £30 on your water bill (if you have a water meter). If you need to rinse utensils or wash vegetables, use cold water if possible and don’t leave the tap running.

Using appliances efficiently

  • Switch it off and save. Unplug all the appliances that you aren’t using regularly – even chargers continue to use electricity when they aren’t charging. Also, make sure you’re not leaving appliances on standby: it may be easier but it’s also a guaranteed way to waster energy compared to turning things off at the socket. On average UK households spend £30 a year powering appliances left in standby mode.
  • Keep your fridge and freezer full to save energy. Some jugs filled with water will do the trick. When you open the appliance door, cold air escapes and warm air comes in. When you shut the door, your fridge or your freezer has to work to cool things down again. By keeping your units full, there’s less air space and less cold air to be exchanged with the warm air from your kitchen. Your appliance doesn’t have to work as hard — and you save energy. Keeping your freezer full has advantages as well. If you lose electricity, a freezer that is half full will hold food safely for up to 24 hours. But a full freezer will hold food safely for up to 48 hours.
  • Make sure that dishwashers and washing machines are full before you use them, and always use the most efficient water and energy settings. Most clothes can be washed well at 30 degrees.
  • If you’re going to boil the kettle, only put in the water you will use. You can measure this first using the cup or the mug you will be filling, this saves lots of energy and saves you money.
  • Air-dry your laundry rather than tumble drying it, particularly if there’s warm or windy weather.