The cost of living crisis is getting worse by the day. Electricity, fuel and food cost more than they ever have before. As the energy costs go up, it can be hard to find ways to save money and energy. We’ve put together a list of tips, tested and proven to save you money on your electricity bill.
The cost of living crisis has hit everyone hard, especially when it comes to the price of heating and electricity soaring well beyond what’s reasonable. But there are plenty of ways to save energy without causing inconvenience.
A lot of people have been taking drastic measures to reduce their energy usage. In this article we’re going to be looking at a few simple things you can do to reduce your energy usage and therefore save yourself some cash during these harsh financial times.
Defrost the freezer to save electricity
It sounds crazy, but if your freezer has thick ice in it, it needs to use more energy! Thick ice inside your freezer is a sign that it’s not working efficiently. Freezers and fridges are usually running 24/7, so optimising the way they run makes sense.
The problem is that ice buildup causes the compressor to work harder and longer, which increases energy consumption and wear on your appliance. Ice also extends the time it takes for food to thaw in a completely frozen freezer.
So, not only are you paying more money to keep your freezer running, you have to pay to replace the appliance sooner than is necessary.
The best time to defrost your freezer is when it’s not in use. This way, you won’t lose any food or damage the appliance. If you need to thaw food that has been frozen, use your refrigerator instead of your freezer.
Use draft excluders around windows and doors
You’d be surprised how much heat is lost through a draughty window. Draft excluders are a cheap, low-tech and effective method for reducing unwanted drafts in your home.
This will help to keep your homes warmer.
Use modern energy saving bulbs (there are good ones and bad ones – get the good ones!)
When energy saving bulbs were new, they had a bad reputation. They would initially be very dim when first switched on, taking about 10 minutes to reach maximum brightness. Fortunately, there are much better options available these days.
These older bulbs were fluorescent, which may use less power but they’re actually really bad for the environment as they can’t be disposed of without causing pollution to the land.
Modern LED bulbs use between 4-15watts of power to give the same amount of light at a traditional 60w bulb. LED lights usually have approximately 10,000 hours of use until they’d need replacing.
You can also can LED bulbs where you can change the warmth of the light and have multi-coloured bulbs too.
Turn appliances off when not in use
It sounds like common sense, but it’s easy to forget to leave lights on when you leave a room. Consider using smart light bulbs that can turn off using a motion sensor, so they will turn off by themselves if there’s no motion in the room.
