Energy Saving Tips
Things you can do today...
Energy Efficiency at Home
Stopping draughts: Attach an easy-to-fix brush or PVC seal to your exterior doors. Fill gaps between floorboards & skirting boards with beading, sealant or newspaper. Make a draught excluder from old fabric scraps
Heating: Turning your thermostat down by 1°C can cut your heating bills by up to 10%, saving you around £30 a year
Hot water: It should be hot, but it doesn't need to be scalding. For most people, setting the cylinder thermostat at 60°C/140°F is fine for bathing and washing. Saving: up to £10 per year
Curtains: Close your curtains at dusk to stop heat escaping
Lights: Always turn them off when you leave a room and adjust your curtains or blinds to let in as much light as possible during the day
Fridges: Defrost your fridge and freezer regularly to keep them running efficiently and cheaply - if they frost up quickly, check the door seal. Leave a good gap between your fridge and your cooker
Televisions, videos, stereos, computers, cordless phones: Avoid leaving on standby and remember not to leave them on charge unnecessarily. But check the operation manual to make sure that this won't reset the appliance's memory
Washing machines and tumble dryers: Always wash a full load or use an economy programme. Wash at 30 degrees, some detergents work at even lower temperatures. Spin-dry clothes before putting them in the tumble dryer and remeber to empty the lint trap regularly to increase efficiency.
Dishwashers: Use a low temperature programme and wash a full load
Pots and pans: Choose the right size pan for the food and cooker (the base should just cover the cooking ring) and keep lids on when cooking. With gas, the flames only need to heat the bottom of the pan. If they lick up the side then you're wasting heat and can damage your pans
Kettles: Heat only the amount of water you need and if you're using an electric kettle, make sure you cover the elements. Jug-type kettles need less water as they have smaller elements
Things you could do over the next week or two...
Lightbulbs: If you use a particular light for an average of four hours or more a day, then replace it with an energy-saving equivalent. Energy efficient bulbs can cost more than tungsten bulbs but will use around a quarter of the electricity and last up to 12 times longer. Using energy saving bulbs can save you £10 over a year. The Morecambe Community Sustainability Shop, 22A Yorkshire Street, Morecambe provides free low energy bulbs and PowerDown units. Call 01524 833080 for more information.
Hot water tank: An insulating jacket for your hot water cylinder costs just a few pounds and will pay for itself within months. Fit a British Standard jacket at least 7.5cm thick. This will cost around £10 and will save you about £10 - £15 a year
Hot water pipes: These can be insulated to stop heat escaping from them to good effect. The best pipes to insulate are the ones between the boiler and hot water cylinder. Cost is around £1 per metre. Saving is around £5 per year
Things you could do within the next year...
Boiler: Replacing a 15-year old model could save you over 20% on your fuel bills or around 32% if you install a condensing boiler and up to 40% if you also install good heating controls. Some grants are available to help with this - call the Cumbria and Lancashire Energy Saving Trust Advice Centre on 0800 512 012 for advice on grants.
Wall Insulation: Up to a third of the heat is lost through the walls so cavity wall insulation can be a cost-effective way to save energy around the home. Again grants are available
Double glazing: Your home could be losing up to 20% of its heat through single glazed and poorly insulated window frames. With double glazing you can actually cut these losses by over a half