ENERGY SAVING BLOG

Here’s a few useful tips which can help you save the money without hefty investments which is especially actual in times of financial downturn:

Take advantage of daylight by using light-colored, loose-weave curtains on your windows to allow daylight to penetrate the room while preserving privacy. Also, decorate with lighter colors that reflect daylight.

Use task lighting; instead of brightly lighting an entire room, focus the light where you need it. For example, use fluorescent under-cabinet lighting for kitchen sinks and counter-tops under cabinets.

Use dimmers, motion sensors, or occupancy sensors to automatically turn on or off lighting as needed and prevent energy waste.

Use compact fluorescent light bulbs (CFLs) in place of comparable incandescent bulbs to save about 50% on your lighting costs. CFLs use only one-fourth the energy and last up to 10 times longer.

Turn your lights off when you leave a room. Standard, incandescent light bulbs should be turned off whenever they are not needed. Fluorescent lights should be turned off whenever you’ll be away for 15 minutes or more.

Only use the heat and light appliances you really need – don’t leave TVs or videos on standby. Also switch off this PC screen when it’s not being used!

Try turning your heating thermostat down by 1°C. You will probably hardly notice the difference and it will save about €15 a year. And keep furniture away from radiators, if possible: the foam in an upholstered chair is a very effective heat insulator!

When cooking choose the right pan size for the food and the cooker, cut food into smaller pieces and put lids on pans as the food will then cook a lot quicker. If you are defrosting food, or just warming things up, then microwave ovens are ideal as they use much less electricity than conventional ovens.

Regularly defrost your freezer and try to keep it packed full, even if this is with scrunched up paper to avoid wasting energy. You should also check the seal on your fridge/freezer to ensure no warm air is getting in – the seals should be tight enough to hold a piece of paper securely when closed.
Reduce the setting of your thermostat at night by 5 C can save approximately 8 %, or 10 C will save approximately 11 % of your heating cost. Automatic setback thermostats are available at your local heating supply stores and usually pay for themselves within one year.

Heat only those rooms you use. Close doors to unused rooms. Zonal electrical heat allows room by room control, which can reduce heating costs up to 25 %.

During the winter months, open shades, drapes, or curtains on the south side of your house to gain the sun’s free solar heat. Windows on the north side should remain covered at all times. During summer, close your shades, drapes, or curtains to keep the heat out until the sun goes down.
Do not block heaters or vents with furniture, drapes, curtains, or appliances. Keep them free of dust to improve efficiency.

Use space heaters for their designed usage; small areas for short periods of time. Trying to heat large areas with a space heater is not efficient.

Do not let valuable heat escape up unused fireplace chimneys.  Block flues when not in use. An open flue in a large fireplace will not only cause substantial drafts but will increase your heating bill.
Installing electric thermal storage heating units can save you money on heating costs.
Installing a water heater blanket around your tank can save up to €50 per year on water heating costs. This figure can be greater if the tank is in an unheated area.
Insulate hot water pipes the first five feet leading from the water heater and if possible all hot water pipes in unheated areas.

Unless you are on a treated water system, drain your water tank every 6 months to keep sediment and deposits from building up in the bottom of the tank. These deposits cut down the efficiency of your unit.
Periodically check your heating elements for build-up. The build-up acts as insulation, restricting the heat from getting to the water. Start with inspections every 6 months, then develop a schedule based upon your particular water content and situation.

Water temperatures of 50 C and detergent will remove oil or grease stains and clean heavily soiled laundry. Tests have proven that clothes are just as clean, in terms of bacteria count, after being washed in 21 C water as using 50 C water. If sanitation is a concern, (i.e. sick person in the house) it is recommended using a chlorine bleach.
Consider taking a shower instead of a bath. It takes approximately 80 litres of water to fill the average bath tub to bathing level. Try this experiment, plug the bath tub, then take a shower. See how full the tub is when you are through compared to your normal bath level.

Installing restricted flow shower heads can save 40 % or more per month on water heating costs. New models are preferred over old style shower heads by many users.

Install restricted flow heads on bathroom and kitchen sinks to reduce consumption by up to one-half.

Fridges and freezers operate more efficiently when they are full. It takes more energy to keep air cold than food. Leave enough space to allow air circulation, however, avoid overcrowding.  Check the temperature control. The refrigerator should be set at 2C to 3C degrees. While the freezer should be set a -17C to -15C degrees.