You may be turning up the heating or having it on for longer during very cold spells. This can have a significant impact on your energy use and that of the nation too, especially with many of us using more energy due to working from home.
It’s been a few months since we launched our ‘Do more while using less’ campaign and we want to remind you of some energy saving tips which can save you money on your bills and help you reduce your carbon footprint.
Set your heating a few degrees lower
According to the Energy Saving Trust, we will need to reduce carbon emissions created by heating our homes by 95 per cent over the next 30 years. One way you can do this is by setting your heating just two degrees lower if you can. There are also a variety of heating controls available which can help with only keeping rooms warm when you need them to be.
Shorter showers
The average Brit showers for eight minutes a day, according to research. Shortening your shower to the Energy Saving Trust’s recommended four minutes could mean big savings on your bills and reduce your environmental impact. If you listen to music in the shower, a great tip is to play a track which finishes at the recommended time!
Switching bulbs to LEDs
According to the Energy Saving Trust, lighting makes up 11 per cent of the average UK household electricity consumption. If your bulbs need changing you should save money and carbon dioxide emissions by switching to LED lightbulbs.
Washing your clothes at 30 degrees
Washing your clothes at 30 degrees is another way to make an impact environmentally and on your pocket. According to consumer advice organisation Which a 60 degree programme increases electricity costs by more than half.
Boil just what you need for your cuppa
You may have been turning to a brew to keep warm but overfilling your kettle will be wasting your money and costing the planet. Filling the kettle to just the amount needed when making hot drinks can impact your overall kitchen energy usage.
Unplug your gadgets
We all have a multitude of gadgets and many are left on standby. Unplugging them can reduce your energy usage and reduce your CO2 emissions. According to the Energy Saving Trust, it could save you £30 a year.
Fully load your dishwasher
Loading the dishwasher efficiently, waiting until it is full and changing the settings to eco-mode can also lower your energy consumption and save you money.
As a council we are working hard to make Elmbridge more sustainable. You can find out more on our Sustainable Elmbridge pages.