Energy saving advice for the home and office
Why save energy?
Employing energy saving measures around the home can save you £200 per year in reduced energy bills for a typical home. Also energy use causes an increase in greenhouse gases and consequently changes to our climate.
How to Save Energy
On this page is a description of things you can do now, in the near future, and long term to save energy, and grants to help you doing so.
Things you can start doing today
Stop draughts and heat escaping through floorboards and skirting boards by filling gaps with newspaper, beading or sealant.
Use natural light wherever possible. Keep windows clean and encourage staff to open the blinds rather than turn on the lights.
Make sure all lights are switched off unless they are being used. It is always cheaper to switch off lights, however short the time period.
Make sure windows and doors are closed when heating or air-conditioning is on.
Curtains: close your curtains at dusk to stop heat escaping through the windows.
When boiling water fill the kettle with just the required amount of water to make a cup of tea. If everyone did this we could save enough electricity to run practically all the street lighting in the country.
When heating reduce the temperature of a room by one degree. It is unlikely that anyone will notice and you could cut the heating bill by as much as 10%. Most staff are comfortable at 19°C. Similarly set air conditioning to not come on before 24°C. During winter absences set the temperature low (sufficient to provide frost protection).
Unoccupied rooms: turn off heating and cooling, making sure they are well ventilated to prevent condensation and mould.
Screen savers do not save energy. Enable power down settings and insist that staff switch off their computer monitors (these use twice the energy of the computer itself) when not in use, including when they are away from their desks at meetings or lunch.
Ensure that all electrical equipment is turned off at the end of the day. A photocopier left on overnight wastes enough energy to make 5,400 A4 copies!
Hot water: Of course 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.
Plug it: Always put the plug in your basin or sink. Leaving hot water taps running with it removed is like washing money down the plughole.
Taps: In just one day, a dripping hot water tap can waste energy and enough water to fill a bath. Make sure they're off.
Televisions, videos, stereos, computers, cordless phones: To cut down on wasted energy, avoid leaving appliances 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.
Fridges: Don't leave the door open for longer than necessary, as cold air will escape. Avoid putting hot or warm food straight into the fridge; allow it to cool down first. Defrost your fridge regularly to keep it running efficiently and cheaply. If it tends to frost up quickly, check the door seal. And if you absolutely have to site your fridge next to a cooker or boiler, leave a good gap between them.
Washing machine and tumble dryers: Always wash a full load and if you can't, use a half-load or economy programme if your machine has one. Always use the low temperature programme bearing in mind that modern washing powders will be just as effective at lower temperatures. And don't put really wet clothes into a tumble dryer; wring them out or spin-dry them first. It's much faster and it will save you money. Alternatively hang your clothes on a washing line - an option which consumes zero energy.
Dishwashers: Try and use the low temperature programme, and ensure you wash a full load. Alternatively wash dishes by hand, thereby using water and energy more efficiently.
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 don't use more water than you need because it doesn't only waste energy, but it spoils food.
Kettles: Heat the amount of water you really 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.
Showers: An ordinary shower uses only two-fifths of the water needed for a bath. By using a shower you are conserving water as well as energy.
Things you can do in the coming week or so
Light bulbs: If you use a particular light for an average of four hours or more a day, then replace it with an energy-saving equivalent - which will use around a quarter of the electricity and last very much longer. Energy efficient bulbs cost around £5 each, but will give you a saving on your bills of £10 over the year.
Make sure your windows are draught-proofed. A low cost, short-term alternative to double glazing is to apply a film across window frames.
Roof insulation: check the thickness of insulation in your loft. If it is less than 250mm (10") increase the thickness. See Existing buildings in the Sustainable Construction section.
Check insulation (walls, roof and pipes) and draught proofing is adequate to prevent unreasonable heat loss.
Exterior doors: To eliminate draughts and wasted heat, use an easy-to-fix brush or PVC seal on your exterior doors. Remember, however, that ventilation is also important, especially if you have open fires, gas fires or a boiler with a flue. If you have a chimney, get it swept regularly, and check your airbricks for any blockages. Cost: around £5.
Letterboxes and keyholes: Nylon brush seals or a spring flap for the letterbox can help. And a cover on the keyhole.
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 that's at least 75mm thick. This will cost around £10 and will give a saving of £10-£15 a year.
Hot water pipes: these can be insulated to stop heat escaping from them to good effect. And the best pipes to insulate are the ones between the boiler and hot water cylinder. Cost: around £1 per metre. Saving: around £5 per year.
Things you can do during the year
Boiler: Replacing a 15-year old model could save you over 20% on your fuel bills, around 32% if you're installing a condensing boiler and up to 40% if you also install good heating controls. See Condensing boilers on the Energy Efficiency website
Wall Insulation: This can be the most cost-effective way to save energy around the home. Up to 33% of the heat in your home is lost through the walls. If you want to insulate against this, the first thing to do is to check the type of walls you have. See Insulation on this site
Double glazing: Your home could be losing up to 20 per cent of its heat through single glazed and poorly insulated window frames. With double glazing you can actually cut these losses by over a half, and make your windows feel much warmer to be by. See 'Windows and Doors' on this site under Sustainable Construction, Existing Buildings.
Reference for the above information is the Energy Efficiency website from which more detail is available.
Grants
Grants may be available check the Energy Efficiency database or phone/e-mail Warwickshire's Act on Energy (tel: 0800 512012 or 01789 842898)