Sunday, March 31, 2013

8 Easy Ways to Lower Energy Bills This Year

Many people struggled with the rising cost of living in 2012. In 2013, with a few easy tips, you could save a lot of money on your energy bills. Here we have compiled ten of the easiest ways to save money on your energy for 2013.

1. Use Energy Saving Light Bulbs

If you haven't already, we recommend you change your light bulbs to energy saving bulbs. It has been reported that if you switch your light bulbs to more energy efficient ones you'll save around £30 over the lifetime of that bulb. Even though these light bulbs might be more expensive to purchase, they actually last up to 10 times longer than regular light bulbs. So such a simple little change, this is an easy way to save money.

2. Turn off the Lights

We often forget to turn off lights. It's every father's pet hate, forgetting to turn off the light when we're not using it is a cardinal sin. Just try your best to get into the habit of turning off the light when you leave a room, you could save a bundle.

3. Unplug Appliances

Here's another easy way to save money on your energy bill. Just unplug appliances that you're not using. One report found that, in an average home, 6% of the electricity is consumed by appliances while they are turned off. So when you're not using appliances, unplug them. Leaving appliances on standby is costing you money!

4. Choose the Right Appliances

When you buy new appliances for your home, get energy efficient ones, just like your light bulbs. Although these energy efficient appliances are a little more expensive to buy, you'll save a lot of money. Items like kettles, dishwashers, clothes dryers and fridge freezers use most of your electricity. Using energy saving ones could half the price of your energy bill.

5. Wash Your Dishes

How hard is it to wash your own dishes? Dishwashers use a lot of energy, you could save a lot of money by doing them yourself or getting your children to clean and dry them. If you'd prefer to have your dishwasher clean the dishes you should at least turn off the energy sapping "heat-dry" setting. Letting your dishes air dry instead is a much simpler way to cut your power bills.

6. Use Fans and Open Windows

If you have the privilege of owning air conditioning for your home, you'll know how costly they can be during the summer. But there are far cheaper ways to keep your house cool. Use fans and open windows to cool your home. This will save you quite a bit on your energy bill through the summer.

7. Get Curtains

Covering windows with curtains and window covers can help keep your home cool during the summer. In the winter, thick curtains will keep your house a little warmer too. So not only do curtains look nice, by covering sun exposed windows your air conditioning unit won't have to work as hard.

8. Or Don't Use Your Heater

If you're really desperate to save money on your energy bills, turn off you're heater. Instead of turning up the heating, try putting on a second layer of clothing or wrapping up in a blanket before you turn up the heating.

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