Household bills are an inescapable fact of life. Once you’ve set up those direct debits and standing orders it’s all too easy to forget about them and let your hard-earned cash leak away, but with a little thought and few changes to your wasteful ways you’d be surprised at the savings you can make. It may all seem like small stuff, but over the course of a year it really adds up.
TURN OFF
All those little red lights are burning energy and costing you money; if you’re not using it, unplug it. Do you need all those lights on? Does your TV talk to an empty room or the radio play to absent ears? Do you need to plug in the vacuum cleaner? Or would a good sweep up do just as well? OK so you like to iron your underwear, well just be aware that your iron is a very energy hungry little device. Think about whether you really need another kitchen appliance, or could you just chop that onion with a knife? And if it’s cold outside, try a jumper instead of the heating dial. Like I said, they’re little things but they all add up.
WOULD A WATER METER SAVE YOU MONEY?
If you’re paying unmetered water bills you could be paying more than you need. Find out what you might save by switching to a water meter.
GET THE BEST DEAL ON YOUR ENERGY
When people move into a house they often don’t bother switching energy supplier as they think it’s easier to remain with what the previous owners had. Many people could be paying more than they need to on their electricity and gas bills, but switching supplier is much easier than you think. You can compare your options in a matter of minutes.
MAKE YOUR HOME ENERGY EFFICIENT
Make your home as energy efficient as you can, any initial expenditure will soon be recouped in future savings. You may like the stylish look of blinds, but in Winter, lined curtains will do a far better job of keeping your home warm. That doesn’t mean spending hundreds of pounds on made to measure curtains, check out charity/vintage shops and pick up a retro pair that you can tailor to fit. If your home isn’t insulated then you need to sort that right away, otherwise all your expensive heating is just going straight through the roof. If you are buying new appliances, check out the energy ratings, it’s well worth paying a little more for an appliance with low energy consumption. Also, be sure to switch to low energy CFL and LED lights.
INVEST IN TIMER CONTROLS
You should run energy hungry appliances, like washing machines, during cheap off-peak times such as late evening or early in the morning. You should also consider programming your water boiler so that it isn’t heating water when you don’t need it.
