Energy saving advice
Welcome to the energy saving advice section of this website, here you will find useful and innovative energy saving tips that will not only help the environment, but also reduce monthly energy bills.
The advice below ranges from specific examples to general lifestyle changes, all of the advice given is being implemented within the LiveGreen:Keele student bungalow. Follow the advice below and join LiveGreen:Keele in helping the environment and reducing energy bills.
There are various measures that every home owner can take to save energy, below are just a few:
- Always turn off the lights when leaving a room - if you share your house with others, tell them to do the same!
- Install energy saving lightbulbs throughout your house which on average save about £45 per bulb over their lifetime.
- Ensure there are no drafts around windows or doors, if drafts are present then heat can escape.
- Heavy curtains are a good way of keeping the heat in your house.
Cooking is an energy intensive activity that occurs most days, by following the simple advice below you can start saving energy immediately:
- Try where possible to use one pot cooking, experiement with soups and stews. You could even make a large stew and re-use it throughout the day.
- Cover all pots and pans with lids to reduce heat loss when cooking.
- Where possible (especially in student properties) share the cooking, create one meal for everyone rather than indivduals cooking at seperate times.
- Cut your food into smaller pieces, this will speed up the cooking process.
Effective management of electrical devices in the home can save a lot of money and significantly reduce your carbon footprint, the advice below is very easy to follow and very effective:
- Try not to leave appliances on standby, always switch devices off at the plug when not in use.
- Remember to take laptops and mobile phones off charge, they have batteries for a reason!
- Only boil as much water as is needed in the kettle.
- Always purchase the most energy efficient devices and where possible from ethical sources - the extra cost is likely to save you money in the long run.
A large amount of energy is used when heating a property, using hot water, washing clothes and even washing yourself! The following advice aims to reduce water usage and reduce heating bills:
- Set up a clothes line in your garden, this removes the need of using a tumble dryer.
- When using the shower try showering for just a minute less than usual, this saving will soon add up over the year.
- Be aware of any dripping taps, if any are dripping be sure to fix them or notify your landlord.
- If your hot water is too hot, turn the thermostat down, you could be heating water unnecessarily.
- Reduce your thermostat by just 1 degree, this could save you up to £100 a year.
- Try adding extra layers of clothes when it starts to get cooler, this is much more sustainable than turning your heating up - and cheaper!
- Ensure that curtains aren't covering radiators, this will stop them from effectively heating a room.
- Never have your heating on whilst windows are open, heat or rather money will escape.
Below are some very useful energy saving websites which contain energy saving advice and news:
*LiveGreen:Keele is not responsible for the content of external links*