Are you spending more money on your energy bills than you’d like to? Ever since the pandemic began, it’s felt like we’ve been doing everything from home – whether that be working, learning or relaxing. With home being the government recommended place to be for the foreseeable future, it’s worth taking the time to consider how to reduce the costs of our heightened energy bills.
Instilling these good habits has never been more important, and by taking this advice on board now, you could make energy savings for years to come.
Save With A Single SwitchIt’s important to switch off, both mentally and literally, at the end of the day. Yet many of us leave our devices in stand-by mode overnight, which adds to our electricity bill while we’re asleep. Even if your computer is off, but still plugged in and ‘on’ at the wall, this will consume energy.
Instead, plug all your office appliances and electronics into a single power board. Then you can simply flick the switch to the power board off at the wall and turn everything off in one go. Just make sure you save your documents and turn devices, like your computer, off manually first so the abrupt switch doesn’t do any harm.
Heat The Room You’re InHeating and cooling are two of the main culprits behind your expensive energy bill. Now is a great time to adopt habits that will keep these costs down.
If you spend a lot of your day in one room, there’s no reason you should be paying to heat – or cool – every other room in the house. In summer, close windows and draw blinds in the morning to block heat then open them up later once the temperature drops. This is an efficient and completely free way to regulate temperature in other parts of your home.
Otherwise, the only room that deserves to be the perfect temperature, and to add to your energy bill, is the one you spend the most time in.
Use Peak and Off-Peak Times To Your AdvantageTake a look at your energy bill or contact your provider to find out whether you could be saving significant amounts by pressing start on the washing machine or dishwasher at a different time of day.
You might be on a ‘single rate tariff’ meaning peak times do not affect your energy prices. However, it may be worth changing plans [link to comparison page] if you think you could benefit from using energy when others are not. Especially while we’re all working from home, there’s no reason not to run the dishwasher at midday instead of 7pm.
Being Economical With Your AppliancesThere are some easy, quick-fix ways to reduce your energy bill that come from changing how you use your energy-consuming appliances.
By not overfilling your kettle, using the eco setting on your dishwasher or washing machine, or waiting until you have a big load of clothes before doing a wash, you can instantly make noticeable savings on your energy bill. If you’re cooking on a hob, put a lid on your pots to trap in the heat so it cooks faster. If you’re not in a rush to wear anything, let your clothes airdry rather than putting them in the dryer.
By simply being more aware of the ways in which your habits cost you, you can make small changes that lead to big savings.
If you’re still not happy with the price of your electricity and gas, it may be that you’re not on the best plan suited to your needs. Our experts at Compare & Connect can, within minutes, find your perfect plan and help you switch over . This way you can lock in savings every month without even having to think about it.