We all want ways to save money. How often have you clipped coupons, taken a closer look at your shopping list or hesitated before putting an item in your shopping cart? But one of the most costly aspects of life is the dreaded energy bill. It’s simply a slip of paper or online total that has the potential to ruin your whole day. What can be done to reduce your energy bills without compromising the standard of living to which you’ve become accustomed?
Small steps toward reducing your energy bills
As with most things in life, some of the biggest changes that you can make to reduce energy costs start off as very small alterations, or baby steps. For example, simply switching off unused appliances, such as a television, phone charger, or games console can greatly reduce your power usage. You can wash your clothes at a lower temperature, check the energy labels on potential purchases, and keep your thermostat on the most efficient setting. If you’re going to be out all day, turn your heat down or off. If you want to make things even simpler, we recommend layering clothing instead of turning up the thermostat, keeping your freezer full to minimize space-wasting, and hanging laundry outside instead of using a dryer. Always compare energy prices when it comes to renewing your contract. Are you getting the most out of your supplier?
If you’re environmentally minded and conscious about your carbon footprint, you’ll be delighted to know that all of these tips will benefit the world around us as much as your wallet. We all need to be more careful about the energy that we’re using, and it makes sense to save a little money as we protect the world in which we live.
Making your home more energy efficient
While many of the tips above provide simple ways that you can reduce your energy bills with very little effort, there are some more life-changing home improvements that you can make in the search for lower bills and better environmental awareness. Solar panels, which can be installed on your roof, are a great way of powering your home, with the added bonus that any excess electricity can be sold back to your supplier. Cavity wall and loft insulation are also fantastic ways to warm your home, which will, in turn, reduce your need for costly heaters, and enable you to keep your thermostat turned down or off for more of the year. Drafts, whether they’re entering your home via a crack around your windows, a space under your door, or loose shingles, can be an incredible drain on your home’s energy. Drafts are easily remedied. For example, weather stripping will instantly stop cool air from creeping under your doors, and shutters can eradicate drafts around your windows and also stop heat from escaping through the glass. A quick Internet search will reveal a range of shutters that would look fantastic in your home and help keep you toasty. Of course, it is beneficial to ensure that your home’s loose shingles, drafty windows, leaky water pipes or ill-fitting doors are remedied before the cold winters hit, thus reducing your energy bills and keeping your house warm and efficient.
Energy bills are something we all dread, yet have to face. Water, gas, and electricity are all necessary to live comfortably, yet can often mean the difference between eating a little more extravagantly, or not at all! Luckily there are several things that you can and should be doing to reduce those bills as well as helping to protect the environment while you’re at it. Whether that’s turning appliances off, fixing leaky pipes, or putting on a few extra clothes, we can all make a few changes to live more frugally, and environmentally considerate.
