The Facts About Energy Saving
by Natasha Christou Digital Marketing ConsultantYou
shouldn’t always believe everything you read online, and this is especially true
when it comes to energy saving tips. For example, some people believe that you
can save money by leaving your heating on all day rather than just switching it
on as and when needed. The Energy Saving Trust has confirmed that using your
heating only when you need it is actually the best way to save energy (and
money). It all comes down to knowing how much energy is needed to heat your
home. Leaving the heating on throughout the day simply wastes energy.
A
similar myth surrounds leaving your lights on all day to save energy rather
than switching them on and off. Simply said, this isn’t true. Even if you leave
the room for 10 minutes, make sure you get into the habit of turning the lights
off behind you.
Some
people believe that you don’t use any energy by leaving electrical appliances switched
on at the plug but not in use. While technology is advancing, and energy-saving
techniques are in place, some appliances draw energy even when they aren’t in
use. A prime example is a phone charger. Did you know that leaving the socket
switched on with a phone charger attached can cost you up to £80 each year?
Lastly,
some of us will have heard the claim that wrapping your windows in clingfilm
can help you save energy. It may come as a surprise, but this one is actually true!
Doing so can help you to keep your home warm, but it’s okay to use any material
for the second layer of glazing so long as it’s airtight and transparent. Apply
this technique and you can help to trap a small layer of air, which can prevent
any heat from escaping. Of course, this should only ever be a short-term
measure. If you need this second-layer, you should look into getting double
glazing. By using this method to have a third layer, you may see a slight
difference, but far less than if you had put it on a single glazed window.
Tried and Tested Tips
Away from the
myths, there are many tried and tested methods which you can rely on and are recognised
across the board. Firstly, you should always be sure to shop around, especially
if your energy contract is up for renewal. Simply staying with the same
supplier as it’s ‘easier’ could see you spending hundreds of pounds more than
you need to. There are many price comparison sites for you to benefit from, so
make sure you log on and let them do all the hard work!
While we’ve
already quashed the myth that you should leave your heating on, did you know
that by turning it down by just 1⁰C, you can cut up to 10% off your heating
bill? On average, this could equate to a saving of approximately £75 each year.
Elsewhere,
tumble dryers are expensive to run, so try to air your washing whenever
possible instead. If you do need to use a tumble dryer, make sure it’s full, as
one full load uses less energy than two half-full loads. The same goes with
loading your washing machine. Make sure you have a full machine and keep it to
30⁰C. Another simple energy-saving trick is to just boil the amount of water
you need — especially if you are just making a cup of tea or coffee. While this
won’t equate to huge savings, every little helps!
Another handy
tip is to spend a little to save a lot. If you are in the position to be able
to invest money on insulation, upgrading your boiler, or even using renewable
technologies, then you should do so. Sometimes you can benefit from a grant for
these services, but even if not, you can often pay back what you’ve spent quite
quickly and start to save money.
Helping the environment
Of course,
while saving money is important, you should also be thinking about helping the
environment. Britain is committed to reducing greenhouse gas emissions by 34%
as early as next year. A key player in achieving this target would be by
members of the public becoming energy efficient – both in the workplace and at
home. Research has found that many power plants actually waste around
two-thirds of the energy that goes into them. In our homes, we simply aren’t
monitoring our energy use as closely as we should be, either.
That is where a
new app could aid you. In July 2018, Northern Powergrid revealed how it has
collaborated with GenGame to trial a mobile game to demonstrate how gaming
could incentivise households to reduce their electricity consumption at times
of high demand. Players receive an alert telling them the game is starting
encouraging them to consider turning off washing machines, televisions, lights
and other home devices for short periods of time to earn points and stand a
chance of winning cash prizes.
For example,
while pausing your washing machine may only be worth approximately 10p, if you
include this in the game format, it gives players the chance to earn more money
through prizes, which makes it a lot more interesting. Each month has hundreds
of pounds worth of prizes available and each player reduces their electricity
consumption by 11% on average.
Andrew Webster,
Northern Powergrid Innovation Project Manager, said: “Household electricity use
will grow significantly as electric vehicles and heat pumps become mainstream,
increasing demand on the network. Mobile games offer a fun solution to help
manage this demand, rewarding our customers for reducing their consumption at
peak periods.”
Energy use and Fuel Poverty
Fuel poverty is
when a household spends more than 10% of its income on domestic energy use,
defining them as a fuel poor household. Saving energy is vital if you are
affected. Northern Powergrid, who can help connect and disconnect
electric supplies, has been a supporter of the fuel poverty
charity, National Energy Action (NEA) for several years.
The
company’s head of stakeholder and customer engagement, Siobhan Barton, said:
“Whilst we don’t sell electricity, as the company responsible for the power
network which delivers electricity to 3.9 million homes and businesses across
the North East, Yorkshire and northern Lincolnshire, we do have a role to play
in helping the industry tackle fuel poverty and encouraging energy efficiency.
“We’ve
reduced our network charges, which form part of domestic customers’ bills from
their chosen electricity supplier, funded a Citizens Advice Bureau fuel debt
advice service and helped kick-start a number of projects through our community
energy seed fund.”
There
are, of course, many other tips and tricks that can help you to save money on
your energy bills, reduce fuel poverty and help the environment, too. It’s also
important to remember that if you are struggling to afford your gas and
electric charges, your supplier should be able to help you come to a solution
and negotiate a deal that helps both parties. Why not make sure you take on
board some of the advice and do your part — both for your bank balance and the
world you live in?
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Created on Apr 9th 2020 09:09. Viewed 443 times.