99 Energy Saving Tips
These should give you some helpful advice to help you take your own '99 Day Watt Watcher Challenge'
Watch out every Friday for further tips.
1. Keep out the chill. Close your curtains at dusk to stop heat escaping and draughts coming in.
2. Replace your inefficient fridge-freezer with an 'A+' or 'A+ +' rated model and save up to £34 a year. Look out for the Energy Saving Recommended logo.
3. As tempting as it is, don’t dry your clothes on the radiator. It makes your boiler work harder than it needs to and costs you more.
4. Low energy light bulbs last around 10 times longer and use up to 80% less energy to run than conventional bulbs.
5 . Insulate your loft with at least 270mm with mineral wool or similar insulation.
6. When boiling vegetables use just enough water to keep them covered.
7. Turn it off. Don’t leave televisions, DVD recorders or computers on standby
8. Use a jug kettle with a water level gauge so you only boil what you need.
9. Turn it down. Nudge your central heating thermostat down just 1°C and you could save 10% on your fuel bills.
10. Keep your cylinder cosy. If you have an old lagging jacket fit a new 80mm one. It’ll pay for its self in months.
11. Match pots and pans to the size of the ring – never put a small pan on a large ring. Size matters. Match pots.
12. Food cut into smaller pieces cooks quicker.
13. Cover up. Lids on your saucepans reduce cooking time.
14. If you have dual rings use the inner one if you can.
15. Letting flames from a gas ring go up the sides of a pan is a no-no.
16. A steamer or segmented pan means you can cook several types of vegetables on one ring.
17. It’s better to cook small items under the grill rather than in the oven.
18. Use a jug kettle with a water level gauge so you only boil the water you need.
19. Switch off the oven sooner rather than later – some dishes will cook while the oven cools.
20. Don’t delay. Many modern ovens, especially fan ovens, need little or no preheating.
21. Try to use all the space in your oven by cooking extra to freeze.
22. Electric toasters are quicker and more efficient than electric grills for making toast.
23. Electric deep fat fryers are safer and more economical than chip pans.
24. A pressure cooker means faster cooking. Induction hobs are more efficient than other electric hobs. Slow cookers are more efficient for many dishes.
25. Electric kettles boil water more efficiently than a pan on a cooker.
26. Once your pan of vegetables, pasta or rice is boiling turn it down to simmer.
27. Microwaves are quick, easy to use, very economical and energy efficient.
28. Descale electric kettles regularly – limescale makes your kettle work harder.
29. Allow hot food to cool before putting it in your fridge.
30. Never overfill your fridge – cold air needs to be able to circulate.
31. Shut that door. Never leave the fridge door open any longer than necessary.
32. Make sure your door seals fit tightly.
33. Try to keep your freezer at least three quarters full.
34. Keep fridges and freezers away from cookers, heaters and out of direct sunlight.
35. If your cooker must be next to your fridge or freezer leave a good gap.
36. Don’t let more than 6mm of ice build up in your freezer. A fridge thermometer will help you set it to the optimum temperature.
37. Dust it. Keeping the back of your fridge-freezer clean helps to improve its efficiency.
38. Defrost regularly if your appliance doesn’t do it automatically.
39. Replace your inefficient fridge-freezer with an ‘A+ r A++’ rated model to save up to £34 a year.
40. Don’t use higher wattage bulbs than you need. Think mood lighting; not Blackpool illuminations.
41. You can’t beat fluorescent tubes in the kitchen. They give long lasting bright light with lower running costs.
42. Switch off the lights when you leave a room. If you leave outside lights on overnight install a low energy light bulb. And a sensor so they stay off during the day.
43. If you’ve got outside halogen security lights use a movement detector to save wasting energy. Tune it so cats and foxes don’t light up your garden at 4am.
44. Low energy light bulbs last around 10 times longer and use up to 80% less energy to run than conventional bulbs.
45. Turn it down. Nudge your central heating thermostat down just 1°C and you could save 10% on your fuel bills; this could be around £50 a year for a 3 bed gas heated semi detached property!
46. Use programmers or time switches on radiators to heat rooms you only use occasionally or use thermostatic radiator valves.
47. Reflective foil panels, discreetly attached behind water-filled radiators on external walls, help reduce heat loss.
48. Programme your heating to match your lifestyle. This means you can heat the house in time for you to come home without wasting heat when you are out.
49. Don’t put storage heaters under windows.
50. If you’re too hot, turn your heating down before opening a window. Sounds obvious but we’ve all done it.
51. Consider fitting thermostatic valves to any radiators you have, for easily adjusting the room temperature. Choose the right size heater or radiator to suit your rooms and conditions.
52. Use programmable modern heating programmers and controllable thermostats.
53. Never cover radiators with curtains or furniture as this makes them less efficient.
54. Have your boiler serviced regularly.
55. Make sure you’re not overheating your house at night. A thicker duvet is more efficient.
56. Replace boilers over 15 years old to save up to £130 on your heating bill.
57. Let the sunshine in. Open internal doors of rooms which get the most sun to let the warm air travel through your home.
58. When it comes to getting a new boiler, the one to choose is a highly efficient gas condensing boiler.
59. Look out for the Energy Saving Recommended logo.
60. Don’t waste water by having your bath too deep.
61. Put the plug in rather than washing your hands under running hot water.
62. Use a washing up bowl in the kitchen sink.
63. If you use electricity to heat your water overnight check you’re using off-peak rates.
64. Keep your cylinder cosy. If you have an old lagging jacket fit a new 80mm one on top. It’ll pay for itself in months.
65. Wrap up exposed pipes in insulation material to save heat and help stop them from freezing in winter.
66. Consider using the kettle when you need just a small amount of hot water
67. Don’t set your immersion heater thermostat too high – 60°C is ideal.
68. Turn taps completely off.
69. If your central heating system also heats your hot water you should fit a cylinder thermostat. If you already have one set it at 60 degrees centigrade.
70. When going on holiday remember to switch your water heating off.
71. Replace washers on dripping taps. Wasting hot water is an expensive business.
72. Shower instead of bathing – a bath can use up to one and half times as much water as a normal shower. Using an aerated or water efficient shower will use half as much water as a power shower.
73. Insulate your loft with at least 270mm mineral wool or the equivalent and you could save up to £155 if your loft is currently in insulated. Make sure you cover over the joists in the loft with insulation.
74. Lag cold water pipes in the loft but don’t lag under the cold water tank.
75. Put draught excluders around your loft hatch and insulate the hatch itself.
76. Stop draughts by spraying insulation foam around areas where pipes enter your home.
77. If your walls are suitable, cavity wall insulation will really reduce heat loss and save you money. You could save up to £120 a year!
78. Thick carpets and underlay help stop heat escaping through concrete floors.
79. Seal draughty gaps between floorboards, skirting boards and behind bath panels.
80. Simple internal secondary double glazing can be cost effective.
81. Large windows let out a lot of heat so double glazing is worth considering. Go for Energy Saving Recommended glazing.
82. Draught stripping for doors and windows is cheap and very effective, and it could save you up to £23 a year.
83. Fully lined curtains will keep valuable heat in.
84. Draw curtains at dusk to stop heat escaping and draughts coming in.
85. Keep windows and internal doors closed to stop heat escaping from rooms.
86. Bring back the sausage dog. Rolled up blankets or sausage-shaped cushions keep out draughts from doors and window sills.
87. A keyhole cover keeps draughts out too.
88. Insulate the back of the loft hatch by securing a piece of insulation material to it.
89. Invest in a draught excluder flap for your letterbox.
90. Rinse hand washed dishes in cold water, not hot. Wait until your dishwasher is full before switching it on. Use the ‘economy’ setting for dishes that aren’t too dirty. Buy the right size machine for your household.
91. If you have cheap off-peak electricity put your machine on overnight – a timer is useful to save you waiting up until late to put it on.
92. Washing your clothes at 30°C uses around 40% less electricity than washing at higher temperatures. Try it. Your clothes will be just as clean.
93. Don’t put soaking wet clothes in your tumble dryer – wring or spin them again first.
94. Don’t over dry clothes in the tumble dryer – it wastes money and makes them harder to iron.
95. Don’t dry your clothes on the radiator – it makes your boiler work much harder.
96. Most modern appliances are more energy efficient than old ones. So you can claw back some money from your bills. Choosing an ESR fridge over a non ESR new one could save you up to £46 over its lifetime.
97. Don’t leave things charging unnecessarily – like electric toothbrushes, rechargeable batteries and mobile phones.
98. Dry your clothes outside rather than in the tumble dryer whenever you can.
99. Turn it off. Don’t leave televisions, DVD recorders, or computers on standby. Switching things off and avoiding standby can save you around £32 a year.
