Frugal Heating Tips And Energy Saving
Ideas
Whilst finding frugal heating tips around my house to help me save on
those horrible utility bills, I came across other energy saving ideas
which over time would also help to reduce my expenditure. I was amazed
at just how many little ways there were to make the home more economical.
Here are my frugal heating tips and other energy saving suggestions
to help reduce that awful feeling of dread every time you have to open
your latest utility bill.
New Equipment - When buying new household items such as washing
machines, refrigerators and cookers always make sure that you buy energy
efficient one. Usually they are graded A - E depending on how much energy
they use, with A being the most efficient. They may cost a little more
to buy initially than the less efficient ones but considering how long
you will be using the equipment just imagine how much your savings
could be over time.
The Laundry - Washing machines are one of the most expensive
items to run, especially if you have a large family and need to do large
quantities of washing
every week. However, by using the machine wisely and in a more frugal
way you can reduce the costs quite considerably:
- Always wash a full load if possible.
- Choose the half load option on the machine when washing a small
amount of washing.
- Turn down the temperature of the wash. Washing at 30 degrees rather
than 40 will still wash your clothes and will mean that less energy
is required to heat the water.
Water - Many homes are now being fitted with water meters that
may mean that if they do not reduce the way they use water they could
be paying a lot more. In deed the whole reason water meters are being
fitted is to make people more aware of just how much water they are
using and encourage them to change their ways and use water in a more
frugal way. A few ideas to reduce water usage are:
- Fix leaking taps as soon as possible
- Reduce the flush in your toilets by placing a plastic bottle filled
with water or sand into the tank. It is also possible to buy toilets
that come with the facility to use a short and long flush as required.
SEE VIDEO FOR DEMONSTRATION OF THIS.
- Have showers instead of baths and reduce the length of time in the
shower everyday.
- Turn water taps off when shaving or brushing teeth.
Electricity - These days everything seems to need to be plugged
in, I personally try to stay away from unnecessary electrical equipment
like digital clocks and fake flame effect fires. Here is some of the
best frugal heating tips and other electrical reducing ideas I have
come across and use every day in my own home.
- Only boil enough water in the kettle that is required.
- Use energy saving light bulbs wherever possible, they are even available
as day light bulbs that I find a much brighter light.
- Turn off electrical equipment when not in use and do not leave them
on their standby function.
- Turn lights off when the room is empty
- Clean
behind refrigerators regularly to keep the cooling elements clear
of dust. This makes them far more efficient.
Cooking - This something which many of us may not think about
when considering saving energy, but as we cook everyday the amount of
power we use certainly mounts up every month and should certainly be
something we take into consideration in our frugal lifestyle changes.
- Gas ovens and tops create instant heat, not like an electric oven
that requires more time to reach the required temperature. Gas is
generally cheaper than electricity as well.
- When heating a small item it is more energy efficient to use a microwave
as it cooks quicker and so uses less power. One of the best frugal
heating tips given to me, was using the microwave to heat up my nighttime
milky drink.
- When cooking
on the oven, always cover pots and pans with a lid, this will
allow the food to cook quicker.
- Use the smallest pan required for the food to be cooked. There is
no sense in trying to heat up a large pan to cook just a small item.
Heating - Frugal heating tips is a must for every money conscious
person and as winters seem to be getting colder everywhere, the better
we can keep our homes warm without using more power the better.
- Install new boilers in the summer when prices are lower for this
type of appliance. This is also a good time to get the boiler checked
over and will save expensive winter breakdowns.
- Turn down the thermostat a few degrees than normal, the difference
in the temperature will hardly be noticeable but the reduction in
the utility bill will be.
- Check with your power supplier to see if they have off peak price
periods. If they do, program your thermostat to come on and go off
during these times to warm the house up for less money.
- Keep internal doors closed
- Close the curtains in unused rooms during the day.
-
- Use heavy curtains for windows and doors. It's amazing just how
much heat can be lost through your front door.
- Fill holes and gaps in floorboards and around windows.
- Insulate the loft; I used old newspapers underneath the loft insulation
for that extra warmth.
These frugal heating tips and energy saving ideas have saved me hundreds
of pounds over the years and my utility bills are now not so much of
a frightening experience as they used to be.
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