We’re living in a time where dire climatic changes are at an all-time high and leading a green lifestyle is the only way to go. Moreover, it seems like the energy prices are consistently rising making energy-efficiency a priority.
With this list, you should be able to save considerably on your bills while also adopting a carbon-neutral approach for a better tomorrow!
Being Energy Efficient with Heating
1. Insulate walls, floors, and lofts – You can undertake floor insulation as a DIY project but you’ll need a professional installer to insulate your walls. This means a considerable initial cost but you can save hundreds of pounds on energy bills every year. So in the long run, it will work in your favour. You can also claim free insulation from British Gas and you don’t even have to be a customer.
TIP: Your properties might benefit from underfloor insulation. Floor Insulation grants are available under the Government scheme. Energy grant specialists, free-insulation-grants.co.uk can help you to access these grants.
2. Install a showerhead that’s water-efficient – These mechanisms use less water as compared to a regular shower head while offering the feel of a rejuvenating and strong water flow. This can potentially cut down your water bill along with your energy bill given that you won’t need to heat as much water as before.
3. Insulate hot water pipes and cylinders – This will ensure that the water stays hot for a longer time once it’s been heated up for use. Naturally, less energy will be required for hot water.
4. Buy more layers for yourself – Buy more throws and quilts to keep yourself warm. This way you don’t have to have the heat running at high temperatures.
5. Use a smart heating control app – Whenever you’re out, you’ll be able to control the temperature in your home. This way, if it slips your mind to adjust the heating before you leave for a few days, you’ll not end up paying exorbitant heating bills for an empty house.
Being Energy Efficient with Lighting
6. Turn off the lights – When it comes to the lights in your home, be sure to turn them off as and when you leave a room. Be on the constant lookout and if it helps, put up stickers as reminders for you and your family to turn the lights off. This little action will add up and save you quite a bit on energy bills.
7. Install energy-saving bulbs – True to their name, these bulbs are highly efficient. You can take your pick from halogens, compact fluorescent lamps, and LEDs.
8. Install a sensor or a timer for outside lights – This way you can avoid leaving them on all night long by mistake.
9. Install a dimmer switch or get a few lamps – You can manage the lighting levels as per your needs. Moreover, low lights equal less energy usage!
Being Energy Efficient with Electronics
10. Charge your phone right before bed – A small amount of energy is used to charge your phone overnight but it all adds up. If we try to charge our phones for just a couple of hours instead of leaving them plugged in for seven to eight hours, it’ll make a big difference. We can reduce our collective carbon footprint in the long run.
11. Turn off all electronic devices at night – This includes, game consoles, TVs, and other devices. Though keeping these devices on standby is convenient for us, it can collectively add to a lot of energy being used. If you have several devices left on standby, then energy-wise it can become quite overwhelming. You can invest in devices that switch on and off automatically or have a central switch that controls all devices making this job fairly easy.
12. Unplug your laptop charger when you’re done using it – To make this easy, you can have a designated plugboard where you plug the laptop charger in and then switch it off when it’s not being used.
Being Energy Efficient by Using Renewable Energy
You can produce energy on your own but to do this, you’ll need a good amount of money upfront. That being said, if you plan to stay in the same home in the future, the investment will pay for itself eventually. The installation is environment-friendly and will reduce your carbon footprint greatly.
13. Solar panels – These can not only generate heat but also heat up water for use. It’s a good time to install solar panels as they use the sun’s rays to produce energy.
14. Heat pumps – Ground and air source heat pump installation is a great way to produce green energy. These heating systems absorb energy from the ground and the ambient air respectively to heat your home.
And that’s a wrap!
Hopefully, this proves to be useful. Nonetheless, the smallest of contributions in being green counts. So make sure that you stay on top of your energy-efficiency game at home!
