7 quick tips to reduce your home energy bills!

Whether it is about saving energy for the environment or to save money, these tips are quick and easy to start implementing at home and get the whole family aware about energy saving habits.

1- Shut the doors

Heating or cooling the whole house can be quite expensive. Whenever possible, close the doors to rooms you are not using or simply just heat or cool the rooms where you spend the most time in.

2- Be cozy

Get comfortable on your couch or in your bed with an extra blanket or an additional pair of socks. This way you are less tempted to turn the heating up.

3- Stock your fridge

It might seem counterintuitive, but stocking your fridge means it doesn’t have to work as hard and it automatically uses less energy. When the fridge or freezer is empty, it is a waste of both space and energy! In most homes the refrigerator is the second-largest user of electricity (13.7%), right after the air conditioner (14.1%). Another recommendation for your fridge is to switch to the new more efficient fridges (made after 2001). An old fridge uses 1400 kWh a year, while a modern energy-efficient model uses only 350 kWh — an impressive 75% reduction.

4- Keep it cool!

When you wash your clothes, most of the energy is spent on heating the water for the washing cycle. Try to wash your clothes at a temperature of 30°C to save about 46% as compared with the 40°C program.

5- Hang up the laundry

Use natural air to dry your laundry instead of tumble drying it. Nothing smells better than air-dried clothes!

6- Switch everything off!

Appliances use energy when they are on standby, even chargers continue to use electricity even when they are not charging. Unplug every appliance you are not using to avoid wasting energy. Check out how much each item on standby is costing you here.

7- If you have kids, get them involved!

Introduce new games to save energy! Play with them to spot areas at home where energy is being wasted or lights are kept turned on. With a challenge like that, they are more likely to pick up on good energy habits!

Do you have other tips that have worked out for you at home? Let us know in the comments!

References:

http://michaelbluejay.com/electricity/refrigerators.html

http://www.which.co.uk/reviews/washing-machines/article/washing-machine-temperature-guide