Saving Money on Your Power Bill
Taking a few eco-friendly steps in your life does not have to be hard. With just a few changes you can save energy, cut your fuel bills, save some money and have green bumper sticker with a clear conscience. Using less energy can save you up to 20% on your power bills.
Here are some budget saver tips :
- Turn your heating down, just 1 degree Celcius can save up to 10% on power bills
- If you're feeling coldish - put on a jumper or cozy fleece before turning up the heater, the heating lag time is just wasted power and a fleece feels great
- Turn your hot water thermostat down, you don't need to maintain scalding hot water, you just need a nice warm shower or washing water. If you can't hold your hand in the hot water - it's too damn hot, turn it down and save power
- Close the curtains at night and cut heat loss through your windows
- Track down drafts with a smoking incence stick and if possible seal any draft
- Fit draft stop or brush seals on exterior doors
- Keep internal doors closed to reduce draughts
- If you're not in a room, turn off the lights, if you're afraid of the dark, fit a motion sensor to a lamp so it comes on when you enter
- When cooking, use a hotplate that fits the pot pan and use its lid to use heat efficiently
- When doing your laundry, wash a full load each time or at least use the semi-load switch
- Wash at 30 degrees Celcius, modern detergents work perfectly well and you save up to 30% power usage
- Defrost your freezer regularly so it works efficiently
- Track down everything that uses standby power - if it has a glowing LED, it's on standby.
- Standby can use up to 25% of the full load energy, especially your computer sitting at home on standby, turn the suckers OFF
- Don't over-fill the kettle for just one cup of coffee
- Use low wattage energy-saving light bulbs where possible (dispose of them properly)
Most of these simple measure didn't cost you a red cent and will save you money and you can congratulate yourself at your first cost cutting and eco friendly steps. How about taking on a simple DIY project such as planting some summer shade trees, plant a veggie patch, or buy your fruit from a local market rather than from an overseas supplier (your supermarket). Try something more technical like a DIY Solar Panel and hook it up to a roof cooling fan. Good luck being green.