Energy saving tips in the home

nightsky224

Is there anywhere to share energy saving tips for at home? With the increase in prices (and knowing that working from home will increase in usage I'm thinking about what I can do to save energy as the weather gets colder
So far:
Using left over boiled water in the kettle to fill hot water bottle
Invest in warm slippers - Sounds obvious but the ones I got last year were a life change
Making sure curtains are tucked behind the radiator so don't lose all the heat
Thermal curtains between conservatory and living room (The doors are rubbish and there is a draft, the conservatory is a whole other issue would welcome ideas on. We can't afford to have it rebuilt, have an oil radiator on when using it in the winter (its kids playroom) but its sooooo cold in there.)

Anyother ideas?

pearl123

1. Wear thermals. Wear a warm hat!
2. Cover up with throw or shawl when sitting down. 
3. Batch cook. To save fuel. 
4 Wash clothes less. Sponge down clothing when you can get away with it. Reduce washing temp when possible. Run on a full load. Use tumble drier less. Hang clothes on a line. 
5. Turn electric goods off standby.
6. Insulate the roof and draught proof your property. 
7. Turn off lights when not it use. Watch TV in the dark. 
8. Finally, if you're not too old. Grit you teeeth a bit and lower the thermastat by 1 degree. 

Verdigris

Using left over boiled water in the kettle to fill hot water bottle

There should be any left over water. Always boil the amount you need and no more.

Fit LED bulbs everywhere.

fatbelly

If you have economy 7 use timers to run as many things at night as you can: washing machine, dishwasher, dehumidifiers

Swipe

The best investment I made was to buy a Beurer foot warmer from Argos as my circulation to my extremities isn't great. As long as my feet are warm I can wear a fleece and feel comfortably warm sitting inactive in living room temperatures of 17-18C.

FreeBear

pearl123 said: 6. Insulate the roof and draught proof your property.

Depending on how good you are at doing DIY stuff, get over to the In My Home (includes DIY) MoneySaving board and ask for advice there. Insulating the loft is fairly easy to do, although you should already have some fibreglass/rockwool up there already. Minimum recommended level is currently 270mm, but it doesn't hurt to go thicker.

Plugging draughts is probably the one thing that will make the biggest difference for the least cost - If you have suspended wood floors, there is always a gap around the edge of a room were skirting meets floor. Sealing this gap helps considerably.

If you have the money, do replace the door between conservatory & lounge with a good quality exterior grade door. It will kill the draught and reduce the heat loss. If/when you come to sell, the buyer (via solicitor/surveyor) will expect to see an exterior grade door there - Having one with the appropriate paperwork (e.g. FENSA certificate) will make things a little easier.

jimjames

Verdigris said:

Using left over boiled water in the kettle to fill hot water bottle

There should be any left over water. Always boil the amount you need and no more.

Fit LED bulbs everywhere.

LED bulbs is probably the main one from that list. Many of the others are tinkering around the edges, LED will make a significant saving if switching from standard bulbs.

Verdigris

My caveat with the LED bulbs is it's not worth the capital cost, or wasn't, to change a CFL to LED if it is little used. If electricity prices continue to rise, rapidly, that may change. I just trickle bulbs down from high use areas, where I have the best LEDs for my purpose, and any spares go in the cupboard to replace future failures, either temporarily, or permanently, as appropriate.

otlondon

Look in charity shops for curtains to put up behind the front door. Stop drafts with a draft excluding around the front door (if its anything like mine). Make a draft excluder out of left over material stuffed with old clothes or the contents of old pillows for the bottom of the door.
Only fill the kettle with enough water for the number of cups required. If just one cup use a microwave to heat the water in the mug. 
Use a microwave. 
Use the local library, the walk there is exercise keeps you and the kids warm. The time there is time no heating required at home and if you get cold on the way home your house will feel really warm. 
 
Kids don't feel the cold when they are playing. 

Does anyone know if it's cheaper to listen to your radio on your laptop than a digital radio? How do I find out?

Verdigris

Does anyone know if it's cheaper to listen to your radio on your laptop than a digital radio? How do I find out?

They're both digital but the laptop doing other stuff as well. If you've got the lappy on anyway, then you might as well multi-task. You can look at the rating plate on each device to see what the nominal consumption is but if they are both operating off the mains any difference is going to be so small it isn't worth worrying about. Only if the radio runs off non-rechargeable batteries will the lappy be significantly cheaper.

QrizB

otlondon said:

Does anyone know if it's cheaper to listen to your radio on your laptop than a digital radio? How do I find out?

Check the wattage on your DAB(?) radio.

Streaming radio on a smartphone will use less electricity than radio on a laptop.

Analogue radio generally uses less power than digital.