Terri Ramsey Beavers For the ecologically and sustainably-minded of you out there, you may well already be wondering how you can become more energy efficient. By discovering ways to do this, not only will you reduce your carbon footprint, but you may be able to reduce your bills too. This is a great double whammy that saves you money and protects the future for your children too. Becoming more efficient is going to be more important as time goes on. That is because more people are going to be using the energy network while the world is becoming less reliant on fossil fuel. So, to do your part, you need to be more energy-efficient:
Wash Clothes at Lower Temperatures
If everyone could do this, it would save a lot of energy. If washing in cold water is not an option, why not reduce the temperature you wash at. Washing clothes at 90 degrees, for example, would save around 40% of the energy used as a wash at 110 degrees. That’s a big saving over the course of a year. In addition, why not switch to an energy-efficient detergent that allows you to do more washes for less. Another thing to consider when washing clothes is to avoid washing with half loads.
Reduce your Thermostat
The hotter your room, the more energy you will be using, it’s pretty simple. You don’t have to reduce it by a huge margin, but the more you do reduce it, the lower your bills will be and the more efficient your home will be too. The same can be said for Aircon. It doesn’t have to be the arctic in your home. It just has to be cool enough to be comfortable.
Don’t Leave things on Standby
Anything that has a light on it will be using electricity. So it is far more efficient to turn things off by their switches rather than with a remote. Go round the house and see how many things are on standby, you may be surprised at the number of things, from televisions and games consoles to microwaves and Aircons.
Defrost your Freezer
If you want your freezer to continue to be efficient, you need to regularly defrost it. This is not only good maintenance but also makes more space in the freezer as the ice melts. In addition. A freezer uses less energy when it is full of items. That means you should fill up free space with bottles of water, do the same thing with your fridge too. This will save money and the environment in the long run.
Upgrade your Light Bulbs
Reducing the wattage of ordinary bulbs is a must, but changing them to energy-efficient ones is even better. Also, LED light bulbs are more energy-efficient.
Take Chargers out of the Wall
A mobile phone charger can use up to 90% of the energy it uses charging up a phone when it is just sitting in a wall doing nothing. So, it is best to take the charger out of the wall. Imagine if you have four or five people living in your house all doing this one thing, and how much of a difference it will make over time when you all stop doing it.
Join a Community Initiative
The local community will have many energy efficiency initiatives going on which are designed to help you become more energy efficient. The community solar initiative promised to deliver all your electrical energy from solar power, so instead of paying bills to the old corporatio0ns, you know your money is going to be spent on improving the planet.
Avoid Wasting Water
There are several ways you can do this, from limiting showering time to installing a half flush on your toilet. Other things can include do not leave the water tap running while brushing your teeth, only fill a kettle with as much water as you need. Just use the minimal amount of water you news at any one time.
Invest in a New Boiler
New boilers like baxi 800 are far more efficient than old ones. Not only will you benefit from a much better heating system but you will save money too. Learn more about how much a new boiler cost and the type of instalation you’ll need.
Upgrade your Windows
Single glazed windows are not very efficient at keeping the heat in. So you could be wasting a lot of energy as they qui8ck;y let the heat out. You should upgrade to double or triple glazed window. These are actually harder to break into, too, so that is an additional bonus. If you can’t upgrade at the moment, think about getting thicker curtains to cover them up.