Trevs Energy Saving Tips
Energy saving tips
With the cost of energy going through the roof, it’s going to be a really tough time for many as we are already facing rising prices for food, fuel & interest rates, etc.
In light, of this, a few little & larger tips may help to get through this crazy time.
It’s important to understand our consumption. I’m not meaning £’s per day, I’m meaning kW used. Our electric meter shows this easily, as it reads kWh used. But gas is a little different, it reads cubic meters and we need to apply a formula to get this to kWh. Very basically, it’s about 10x. But the calorific formula changes through the year depending on the temperatures. Here is an example of a formula from my latest bill: Caloric formula used: 1.02264 × 38.9 ÷ 3.6
Once we understand our consumption, we can try and reduce it where possible. If you have a smart meter, with IHD (in-house display), you can see what is being used on a live basis, for example, by switching the kettle on you’ll see the digital display reading what it’s using, and it’s probably 2-4kWh. If you don’t have the IHD then it’s a little more difficult. I’d suggest making a chart of your daily energy switching activity and taking daily readings of the meter to see the effects.
I can only speak for ourselves as I’ve not personally helped others, but these are the are some changes we’ve made and a few other suggestions are here to help.
Electricity
- Teas/coffees /kettle (only boil the water needed, or you could do a big boil and store the warm water in a thermos.
- Consider an air fryer – These are great for small families and use much less energy than a standard cooker
- Batch cook – Cook a whole chicken, and use the leftovers for a curry, salad, sweet and sour with rice etc. There are loads of options.
- Drafts in the house. This is a BIG one. Don’t let out that precious heat. Close the curtains when the sun goes down.
- Education of children. Teach the kids (and or the other half) get them involved and understand the situation.
- PlayStation – Did you know that playing a High Definition game, will use 200w an hour?!
- Turn your water temperature down. There is no point in heating the water to add cold to it. Turn that dial down.
Gas
- Turn your boiler down. As with the hot water, having the boiler working flat out, it’s not efficient, turn down the temp, you should be able to touch the radiators really.
- Heat the room/person, not the house. This is a bit more difficult, but if you are really struggling, then don’t try and heat the house, just the person.
- Balance your radiators. Ensure that the radiators are balanced so they work more efficiently.
- Old windows. If you cant afford double glazing, consider a plastic stretch film that sticks to the frame and shrinks with a hairdryer. It will stop drafts and works really well.
- Layers. Start with vests, long sleeve t-shirts and then sweaters. Layers will insulate you.
- Open air gas fires are more expensive to run. We found our Open Gas fire used more in 2 hours than the boiler used in one day. There are cheaper options!
Power hungry items are things like, kettles, toasters, dishwashers, washing machines, tumble dryers, electric showers, and immersion heaters are the things to watch. This is not a post to say DONT use these but use them carefully and wisely to help with consumption.
Good luck with your savings.!