If you are starting to get serious about saving energy and improving your home’s efficiency, then the first thing is to understand how energy is consumed in your home.

Read your meter

By reading your meter regularly and keeping an accurate record of the energy being used, you will be able to understand how much energy you consume at different times of the year. Knowing where your energy is going is the first step to cutting back.

You should also take note of how much energy you use at different times of the day. It is very common for homes to consume the most energy during the morning and early evening. If this is the case in your home, consider some ways to reduce energy use during those peak times.

Tip: kettles and toasters are high wattage appliances so be sure to get the most out of every use. It is also very interesting to see how much energy your home is consuming when you are not even inside.

Tip: Appliances on standby (plugged in, but not turned on) still consume up to 70% of their full electricity requirement, so unplug these items when not in use.

Use an Electrisave

An Electrisave is a device that measures the energy consumption of appliances in your home. A handy little gadget, the Electrisave can pay for itself in energy savings by encouraging you to use lower-consumption items, and think twice before turning on the energy draining appliances. Visit www.electrisave.co.uk

Lights

Lights are one part of the home that we rarely think about, because they are such a ubiquitous part of our lives. However, lighting a house can account for as much as 18% of the average energy bill.

Although this figure is quite shocking, such a large consumption also means an excellent opportunity to improve. A simple solution to save on energy is to install low energy bulbs, which not only consume less energy, but also last up to 10 times as long as their full-energy counterparts.

Housekeeping

Take care of your appliances and they will keep your energy costs low! One of the first steps to maintaining high-efficiency in appliances is to combat lime scale, which can coat heating elements and reduce their ability to heat water. By simply using a de-scaling product, such as Clagon in your kettle and washing machine you will be able to improve the appliances efficiency and reduce its energy consumption.

Vinegar can also be used to maintain your domestic appliances against the build up of lime scale. Every two months run a 60-degree cycle with no clothes and add 200ml of white vinegar. This will reduce electricity use and maintain health of these appliances.

Another maintenance chore that will reduce energy consumption is defrosting the freezer. Freezers that are filled with frost work harder to stay cold. Another tip for efficient fridge and freezer use is to ensure that the seals are in good condition and that the units are well stocked with food

Hot Water

Do you wash your clothes and dishes in the hottest setting possible? Not only are you likely damaging your belongings, you are also consuming more energy than is necessary. All modern detergents are designed to clean successfully at 40 degrees Celsius, which requires significantly less energy from your machine.

When using dishwashers and washing machines you should also ensure that the machine is only run with a full load. Ecover products have a range of environmentally friendly detergents that clean successfully when following the above suggestions. www.ecover.com

Go Shopping!

If your home is filled with aging and poorly maintained appliances then you are likely throwing away money each month on unnecessary energy costs. Although the purchase of new appliances can be a costly venture, if you make the right choices and purchase energy efficient models, you will save money in the end.

A second consideration for the purchase of new items is the disposal of the old ones. It is essential that your old appliances be disposed of correctly so that they do not harm the environment. Luckily, most reputable retailers will remove your old appliance and dispose of it for you appropriately.

A great example of how effective this can be is the tumble dryer. Tumble driers are a major consumer of energy and a significant portion of your fuel costs. By replacing an aged drier with an ‘A’ rated model you can cut the cost of drying clothes by almost half. For even greater savings, install a clothesline in your garden and dry your clothes free during warmer weather.

For more information about energy efficient appliances, Good Energy recommends the Good Shopping Guide, which is available at www.gooshing.co.uk.