Stop being a fuel..act now

Aug 10 2008 Donny Sheriden

Diy Donny Gas And Electricity Bills May Be Soaring But You Can Cut Costs By Remembering A Few Simple Tips

With energy charges rising to the point where gas bills are predicted to be more than £1000 a year on average, it is vital to take action to cut costs.

It's just a matter of changing your behaviour and remembering key tips on how to save energy in your home.

Households use about a third of the country's energy output and 20 per cent of this is needlessly wasted.

The high demand for electrical items, heating and lighting outstrips savings from insulation and more efficient goods.

On average, the energy used in our homes is 61 per cent for heating, 23 per cent for hot water, 13 per cent for lighting or appliances and three per cent for cooking.

The following top tips will help you to save energy - and money - as you go about your daily activities at home.

HOT WATER

Only fill the kettle for the amount of water needed. Once the water is hot, use it - don't boil the kettle time after time.

Don't over-fill the bath only to empty it after five minutes. When you turn on a shower, use it right away - don't leave it running.

If you have a hot water cylinder, set the thermostat to 60C or below. Fit solar panels to your south-facing roof, which should cover all your hot water needs, with the boiler topping up the heat in winter.

If gas prices continue to soar, your savings will outweigh the cost of buying and installing solar panels much sooner than they would have previously.

APPLIANCES

The ultimate bad habit is leaving appliances such as TVs and computers on standby. Older TVs that use a cathode ray tube use a quarter of the energy of modern LCD and plasma TVs, which consume on average 400 watts when switched on and four watts on standby.

When you consider DVD players, surround sound systems, games consoles and satellite receivers, the extra wattage soon adds up throughout the year.

If you add computers, printers, mobile phone chargers and stereos all left on standby, you will consume even more in unnecessary fuel costs.

This figure could easily double if you count TVs in children's bedrooms and all the electrical games and gadgets that kids play with.

Remember to unplug mobile phone chargers when not in use as they still consume energy.

Energy-efficient fridges, tumble dryers, dishwashers and washing machines help to reduce carbon footprint and save you money.

Wash clothes at 30C instead of 40C to save 40 per cent in energy.

In winter using a clothes horse in a well-ventilated room will save you money compared to a tumble dryer.

LIGHTING

Always turn off lights when they are not needed to reduce your electricity bill. It might not seem a lot over one night but it soon adds up.

Consider buying energy-saving light bulbs to save even more cash.

HOUSE TEMPERATURE

Turning the thermostat down by 1C can reduce the average central heating bill by 10 per cent.

If you have an old boiler, replace it with a new condensing one which can cut up to a third off your bill.

Unless it's very cold, wear a jumper instead of turning on the heating.

Double-glazed windows and loft, cavity and under-floor insulation will also make a huge difference to energy bills.

DONNY'S LITTLE HELPER

You will always need a torch, whether it's to crawl under floorboards or search in the attic. In my opinion, the best one is the Maglite C or D cell torch, used by the police. It's tough enough to last a lifetime.