Close the windows in winter; switch off appliances that aren’t in use; invest in loft insulation. The classic mantras of saving energy at home are repeated ad nauseam by governments and the media.
However there are also a number of lesser known tricks that can actually go a long way in reducing your annual energy bill. Read on as the solar panel experts at SolarTech take you through five of their top tips for saving energy.
Arrange a Home Energy Audit
Most of us are probably aware that we are wasting energy – but for an amateur it can be difficult to identify the exact sources of wastage. For example, taking a bath instead of taking a shower with an energy efficient head could be costing you more than you think.
A professional home energy audit will provide you with a clear report on how much energy you use and help you to see where you are wasting the most. Armed with this knowledge you can then set about tackling those issues.
Stock-up that Fridge
A domestic fridge-freezer uses a lot of energy doing the essential job of keeping your food cold, but when you open the door it replaces the cold air with warm, meaning it has to begin the process of cooling it down all over again.
By keeping a well stocked fridge-freezer you can limit the amount of space warm air has to move into and leave the appliance with less work to do – but make sure that you still leave enough room around food items for air to circulate.
Go Green with Greenery
Want to cool down your home in the summer but don’t want to shell out on an energy-hungry air conditioning system? House plants can do a great job of cooling down your property by increasing humidity via a process known as transpiration – the evaporation of water from the aerial parts of the plant.
Use the Dishwasher MORE
Believe it or not a domestic dishwasher actually uses less energy than is required for doing the dishes in the sink – and avoid pre-rinsing.
It is a common misconception that rinsing dishes in the sink first means that the dishwasher doesn’t have to work as hard, however a report by American non-profit organisation Consumer Reports found that this additional step can waste up to 20 gallons of heated water per day.
Don’t Get Overcharged for Charging
In February of this year, Visioncritical.com found that nearly half (49%) of us overcharge our gadgets, not only wasting energy but also affecting the battery performance of some devices.
Of course it can be difficult to know when a gadget has finished charging, so why not use a timing device for monitoring it for you? This means you don’t have to worry about it when you’re out of the house or asleep either.
Every home should be doing the basics when it comes to saving energy – for their household finances as much as for the environment – but that doesn’t mean you can’t find even more savings by doing the smaller things.
This guest blog was written by John Rooney on behalf of SolarTech – your first choice for solar panels in the Midlands.
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