What’s best for your bills? Saving energy room by room
Wondering about the best ways to save energy, for your bills and the environment? We've answered some of the common this or that questions for saving energy at home, room by room.
Kitchen
Cook for me, or 3? Cooking a few meals at a time is more energy efficient (and will win you housemate points).
Boil or steam veg? Steaming uses less water and has been found to keep more nutrients in your veg. Lids on pots save energy too.
Washing up v dishwasher? To our delight, the dishwasher is more energy efficient if you have a full load.
Kettle or hob? Boiling water in the kettle is faster and uses less energy than boiling on the hob. Remember to only boil as much as you need!
Cooking slow or fast? Slow cookers are one of the most energy efficient kitchen appliances! Despite being on for hours, they use very low power, can help with meal planning, and save prep time in evenings.
Heating up slow or fast? Microwave is generally the most energy efficient way to heat your food.
P.S defrosting things in the fridge overnight or on the counter during the day can save the need to defrost using heat or energy at all!
Bathroom
Bath or shower? This is a tip as old as time – if you can, stick to baths for treats and showers for regular washes.
Hot short showers or long warm ones? Either! People often forget that showers use energy as well as water. Aim for 4 minutes – enough time to give your best Adele rendition.
Boiler down or off? Check your boiler settings for how often it is heating up water and to what temperature. The most energy is used to heat up the water, so if you can choose a lower temperature or use the timer settings to only heat up at certain hours, both will add up in savings!
P.S 90% of a washing machine's energy expenditure is spent heating the water, so using cooler washes (30-40*) is an easy saving.
Bedroom
Socks on or off? Your feet are one of the coldest parts of your body so keep them on to keep your tootsies toasty. They can also help you drift off more easily.
Windows closed or open in winter? Open! It’s really important to have daily air flow to prevent mould and mildew. Open your windows for 10 minutes in the morning (just remember to close them!)
Cotton v silk? For PJ’s, silk, flannel and bamboo keep you the warmest. (But don’t rush out to buy a new pair, the most sustainable wardrobe is the one you already have).
Living room
Team big light or lamps? Regardless of your lighting mood, switch to LED bulbs and make sure you switch them off when you leave a room.
Clothes horse or over the radiator? Avoid wet clothes directly on the radiator as this will reduce air flow. Follow the light and move your clothes horse to wear the sun is shining throughout the day.
Curtains open or closed? Thick curtains will keep the heat in but on sunnier days the heat from the sun will warm up a room.
Central heating or portable heater? If you don’t need to heat your whole house, you might think having a portable heater in 1 room is better - but it’s not clear cut! Trust your home heating on this one. It is estimated that plug-in heaters are 3 ½ times more expensive to run than using radiators. Portable heaters aren’t as energy efficient as central systems, and it depends on lots of things like the size of the room, windows, insulation, etc. It’s most likely central heating will be better, especially if the room is more than 1/3 of the house or your home is on the smaller side - try both for a week each and check the difference on your meter!
Hungry for more?
We've got plenty more tips for keeping your home cosy without raising the costs. Did you know your digital footprint such as email inbox and photo gallery can be a huge source of energy use too?
