How To Save Money On Your Electricity Bills

Electricity saving tips:

• The tumble dryer is probably the second most energy zapping appliance in your house after the fridge.  A very easy way to cut down on your energy consumption is to hang your washing out to dry (weather permitting) and if the weather is bad, use a clothes horse indoors to let your clothes dry. Don’t put the clothes directly on the radiator as this will stop heat circulating, open windows slightly to avoid damp.

• Up to 80-90% of the energy used in your washing machine and tumble dryer occurs when the appliances are heating up the water to do the wash.  By dropping the temperature of your water and wash your clothes with warm water rather than hot can dramatically reduce the consumption.  Modern washing powders are just as efficient at lower temperatures.

• Don’t forget to use the ‘Half Load or Economy’ function.

• Switching your TV off using your remote and leaving the TV in ‘standby’ mode, is still using electricity and wasting energy.  Always make sure you switch the appliance off by using the main power button or at the plug socket itself.  By leaving the appliance on ‘standby’ mode, it will still use 85% of the energy as it would on full power.

• Always turn your lights off when you leave the room.

• At least 10-15% of your electricity bill is on lighting. A traditional light bulb will convert its energy into heat thus wasting a considerable amount of energy.  It is wise to invest in energy saving light bulbs that last 10 times longer than a traditional light bulb and that use up to 4 times less energy.  Changing your bulbs throughout your house may be a little more expensive but will save you a considerable amount of money in the long term.

• Use solar lights In your garden rather than outside lights connected to the mains, you could also take the solar lights in to your house at night if you wanted to cut back on your electricity bill and the put them back outside in the day to recharge.

• Using an ‘A’ rated appliance can save you a considerable amount of money than using an older appliance.

• Laptops use far less electricity than a desktop computer and obviously take up less space.

• Computers still use electricity even when they are closed down.  Printers, scanners, external drives etc will also still use electricity when not be used so why not switch them off if they are not being used?

• Once appliances such as mobile phones, shavers, cameras etc have finished charging, switch them off and pull the plug at the socket because if you don’t, they will continue to draw electricity.