Simple steps to reduce your energy use by 10%

According to Which? The average home uses an excess of 60 kWh of electricity per week. In order to reduce your energy consumption by 10% there are a number of simple effective methods you can choose from.

Lights

·         Turning your lights off when no one is in the room can save up to 0.95 kWh/wk. 


·         Replacing a halogen bulb with an energy efficient alternative known as an led bulb can save up to 0.59kWh/wk.

·         Replacing 10 light bulbs would mean an average saving of around 5.94 kWh/wk.


Washing machine and dryer

·         Washing your clothes at 30 degrees instead of 40 degrees saves 0.2-0.15kWh per cycle.

·         If possible hang all your washing out whether that be on the line or on a radiator as long as you can avoid using your tumble dryer. Tumble dryers are energy intensive which uses 1.5kWh of energy per use.

Kitchen

·         Nearly everyone tends to boil more water than needed but if you changed this and only filled the kettle with the amount you need you could reduce the amount of energy needed by 30%.

·         Electric ovens use a great deal of energy, typically around 5.5kWh a week. Use a microwave where possible to cut down on energy consumption.


TV

·         The larger the screen the more energy a television will use when turned on.


·         Don't leave the TV on if you're not watching it and, if possible, turn it off at the plug to avoid any standby consumption.


·         You could even give up TV for the week! If you've got an LCD TV that's 1.8 kWh/wk, while if you've got a plasma TV you're using 6 kWh/wk.

Hot water

·         Heating your water takes up quite a large percentage of your energy consumption in fact 16 percent.

·         Replace an inefficient shower head with a water efficient one and save approximately 29 kWh/wk.

·         Cut your shower time down by 3.5 minutes to save an average 7 kWh/wk.