When we work harder to save energy, everyone wins. Saving energy not only helps cut our costs on power bills but also works towards helping the environment and protecting our planet’s natural resources.
Our planet has a finite number of resources that our ever-increasing population is consuming at an incredible rate. The more we can do to reduce our dependence on the world’s resources, the brighter the future for the generations that we leave behind.
Making Sure You’re Not Wasting Money on Power
Before you take any steps towards saving energy around your home, it’s a good idea to check to see if you’re actually on the best power plan for your needs. One of the simplest ways to quickly reduce your power bill is to use online tools to compare electricity suppliers and confirm that you’re on the best power-supply deal that’s available in your region.
There are a number of websites that provide tools whereby you can quickly compare power companies. Once you’ve done this and you have moved to the best plan, you can try our five cost-free tips for saving energy around the home.
5 Cost-Free Ways to Save Energy
There are heaps of ways that you can save energy around the home. Many require some form of expenditure up-front – such as installing full insulation in your ceiling, walls and floor – but there are also plenty of cost-free ways to save energy.
Here are just 5 things you can do at home right now to save energy:
1. Replace Old Light Bulbs with Energy Efficient Bulbs
While there is a small cost involved, replacing an old light bulb that has already blown with a new energy-saving light bulb can help you to save power in your home.
Many new energy efficient bulbs also last longer than older traditional bulbs so despite the higher initial cost, you may actually save more money on replacement bulbs over the course of the year.
The below chart shows electricity use by bulb type. It’s clear to see that different types of bulbs have very different energy consumption rates.
2. Close Doors, Windows and Curtains
The sun is our best source of heat during the day but our homes can quickly lose this heat if we don’t keep a check on doors and windows in our home.
Before the sun begins to set and the heat of the day starts to dissipate, take a walk around your house and ensure all windows and external doors are firmly closed. If you aren’t using certain rooms in your house – such as a spare bedroom – keep the door to that room closed so that you don’t waste money and resources in heating rooms unnecessarily.
It’s also a good idea to close your curtains as soon as the sun goes down as curtains can provide an extra layer of insulation to help trap warm air inside your home. Just make sure you don’t close them too early or you’ll lose the benefit of the warm rays of sun coming through your window.
3. Only Boil What You Need
Kettles can use up a large amount of electricity in order to boil water. The more full the kettle, the more electricity is consumed.
Instead of boiling a full kettle every time you want a single cup of coffee, a simple way to reduce your power bill and energy use is to only put just enough water into the kettle for your needs at that time.
This may only feel like it saves a small amount of energy at the time but with frequent use of your kettle, the savings can really stack up over time.
4. Switch off Unnecessary Lights and Appliances
Whenever you leave a room, make sure you have switched off all lights and appliances in that room.
It’s also a good idea to switch off appliances such as TVs and DVD players at the wall when they are not in use. Many older appliances can use almost as much electricity while in standby mode as they do when they’re fully turned on!
5. Put on a Layer
Before you go to turn the heating up, consider simply putting on an extra layer of clothing. You might find this is all you need to warm-up and so can save yourself some money on your power bill.
This article was kindly supplied by NZS.