Easy Energy Saving Tips

Energy Saving Tips Our homes are responsible for the contribution of over a quarter of all UK carbon dioxide emissions, the primary greenhouse gas behind global warming. You can reduce your carbon emissions as well as save up to £300 per year simply by cutting back on your energy consumption at home. The following energy saving tips will hopefully help you to reduce the amount of energy you use: Turning-of Appliances Home appliances should always be switched off when not in use, by the mains if need be. rnThe average household wastes around £30 per year by leaving electrical appliances on standby.rnKitchen When cooking using pots and pans, cover the pan with a lid as the food will heat up more quickly and conserve heat. Use only as much water as you need when boiling the kettle. Try not to leave the fridge door open, as it requires energy to cool it down again. Using a pan which matches the size of the cooking ring, will help prevent you heating simply air. Try using a microwave to heat up small meals, since an oven requires a lot of energy to reach an adequate temperature. Another simple energy saving tip is to use a steamer that allows you to cook multiple foods on the same heating element or gas ring. Boiler Systems As much as 10% can be cut from your heating bill if you just turn your central heating down by 1 degree. Lowering your immersion heater by 1 degree wont even produce a noticeable tempearature change, yet it will still save energy.rnWashing Machine & Dishwasher To get the most out of your washing machine and dishwasher, you should always try and run a full load when possible.rnContinuously doing small or half loads will only waste energy and increase the amount of times you wash. Hanging your clothes out to dry rather than using a tumble dryer is a sure fire way of saving energy. When you wash clothes at 30 degree, chances are your results will be the same as if you had washed them at a higher temperature, therefore sticking to 30 degrees can save energy. Lighting When you exit a room always make sure all lights have been switched off. Avoid lighting with more bulbs than required to effectively illuminate the room. The difference between energy saving light bulbs and regular bulbs can be huge, you can save around £55 as energy saving light bulbs have a life span 10 times as long. rnAdditional energy saving tips include buying energy efficient appliances. Appliances considered to be within the 20% of efficient products can be identified by the Energy Saving Recommended label. An A-G rating can also be found on the European Union energy label, this shows how the product has been graded. An A rating identifies the appliance as highly energy efficient, with the scale going down to G as it becomes less efficient.