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Reducing Energy in your Home

LIGHTING
SWITCH IT OFF
A few years ago, my niece was ridiculously excited to visit The Yorkshire Wildlife Park. A polar bear breeding programme was starting and the bears had just arrived!! Off we went. The bears were beautiful but the one thing that I remember often after returning from this trip was the wording on a sign near the bears enclosure. It read “turn off the light and save the polar bears”. Oh so simple! but this small statement really hit home. By simply taking a split second to turn off an unnecessary light not only was I going to save energy and therefore money, I was also contributing to a reduction in climate change and playing a part in helping to save such magnificent creatures!
Switch off the light and help save the polar bears!

LIGHTBULB CHOICES
Often, when it’s time to replace a lightbulb, I feel overwhelmed when stood in front of the plethora of options available and the vast array of choice! Not only is there bayonet or screw fitting, there’s brand, shape, size, luminosity, wattage, colour………..phew! My main concern is that it fits the lamp or light fitting and also how efficient the bulb will be (sparing a thought for the polar bears!)
A bulb uses energy in watts. Generally speaking the higher the wattage of the bulb the brighter the light will be. This also means the amount of energy used to produce this light is higher.
The colour of the light produced by the bulb is measured using the Kelvin scale. Lower down the Kelvin scale the light is more yellow and appears warm, higher up the scale the colour is blue and appears cool. This means that you don’t necessarily need to pick a higher wattage to create the light that you want in your home.
To save you recalling GCSE science when doing your shop, here’s an easy go to guide that helps identify which bulb is the right choice for you:

*sources:

  • How to Choose the Right Light Bulb for Your Home (bmstores.co.uk)
  • How To Choose the Right Light Bulb – Lighting Tutor
  • How much do LED Lights Cost | The Renewable Energy Hub
  • Cost Comparison: LEDs vs Traditional Halogen Lighting – Expert Electrical

WASHING
We’ve probably all known for a while now that clothes can be washed at 30 degrees with most detergents and the clean is still as effective. However, do you ever stop and think as to whether your favourite skirt really needs to be washed? Could your comfiest bottoms be worn one more time for that Zoom meeting where no one can see you from the waist down?
Don’t get me wrong, I’m not suggesting you rewear your smalls but do your skinny jeans really need that spin cycle just yet? Did you know that if you rinse your jeans in cold water and that them air dry you’ll get that same just washed fit that you love?!
Some fibres are weakened by the heat of hot water so by washing cooler and reducing how many times you wash, you’ll not only save energy but also keep the ultimate go-to garment in your wardrobe for longer!
Don’t just take my word from it! Listen to the experts….
How to Care for Your Jeans: 5 Tips to Keep Looking Great in Your Favourite Pair – Levi Strauss & Co : Levi Strauss & Co

Weather in the UK might not be the most predictable, or reliable for that matter, but never the less there are many days a year when we could peg our washing out to dry.
Looking back at my childhood I have many memories of spending time with my Grandma. This often meant helping out with chores such as cleaning, washing and ironing. She gave me pocket money by the garment for the ironing and a little extra if I helped her peg the washing out. A super simple way to reduce the need to switch your drier on and who doesn’t love that fresh, line dried fragrance of clean bed linen?!
Perhaps you already have posts set in your garden for this purpose and all you need is a simple washing line. If not though, why not try a drying spinner? I recently invested in one and I don’t mind admitting that I have a smile on may face when the sun is shining on washing day!! It packs away in a handy cover and stows away in the shed so it isn’t intrusive in between washes, plus it holds two full loads! It’s worth shopping around as there are many options that could suit you from a simple cord to a retractable line that packs away hassle free when you’re not using it or a spinner like mine.
In short, if you’re lucky enough to have an outdoor space then invest in a washing line!

Only wash when you need to
Fill your washing machine to it’s load capacity or use an eco-setting if you have one
Turn the temperature down
Dry naturally

  • Here are a few examples of products you could invest in. Each has a different design so you can tailor you choice to the space that you have, plus, there’s one to suit every budget.
    £1.50: Dry Natural 20m Polyrope Washing Line | Homebase
  • £18.99 Minky 2 Line 15m Grey Retractable Washing Line | Washing Lines | Screwfix.com
  • £30: Dunelm 50 Metre 4 Arm Rotary Washing Line | Dunelm
  • £95: Brabantia Lift-O-Matic Rotary Clothes Outdoor Airer Washing Line with Ground Spike and Cover, 50m, Metallic Grey (johnlewis.com)
  • £115: Brabantia Wallfix 50cm Wall Mounted Clothes Line | Wayfair.co.uk

In the UAE it is glorious hot weather 99.9% of the time, therefore, why use a tumble dryer to dry out clothes when we can simply hang out clothes outdoors to dry! It’s much faster than tumble drying and most importantly saves energy. Try:https://www.justhangit.ae/

WATER
If there’s one thing that I know that I take for granted it’s that when I turn on the tap clean, fresh water will flow out in abundance! Relatives of mine live in a tiny village, up in the mountains of Andalucía, Spain. Summer holidays were often spent there and on every visit my Aunt would ask us to be sparing with water as their supply was from a tank on the roof. Many times the running water would literally run out. This was the first time a light went on in my head and it dawned on me that water is in fact finite! and that a clean and fresh supply on demand was not a given!
Years later I met a couple who run an orphanage in Kenya. They were visiting a local Mission that support them with fundraising in the UK. As the hostess I brought in drinks, one of which was a simple glass of water with ice. It was a hot summer’s day, at least for the UK and so I assumed they would want ice in their drinks. Being from much sunnier climes this was not the case. Immediately I offered to replace the drink, or at least to remove the ice. Horrified by the thought or even an ice cube being left to melt down the drain, let alone a life supporting glass of clean, fresh water be poured down the away, they quickly accepted the drinks as they were. This was such an eye opener for me and I recall it often.
Here’s a few simple tips to reduce water usage in your home:
Choose a shower instead of a bath. Switch the shower on only when you’re ready to get in and try not to linger.
Invest in an eco showerhead that improves water pressure without simply forcing more water out to achieve this. They cost from as little as £12 and can use up to 30% less water.
How much water do you boil each time you make a cup of tea? Try only boiling the volume of water that you need. This not only reduces how much water you use but also the amount of electricity you will use to boil the kettle.
Who here likes washing up?? Consider washing up once a day and perhaps only use half a sink of water?
As you brush your teeth turn off the tap until you need it again.

HEATING
Here’s a question…….what is room temperature? Most people that I have asked this recently have almost immediately answered 21 degrees Celsius. Actually, an ambient room temperature is between 18-19 degrees Celsius. According to the Energy Saving Trust, by turning your heating down even by 1 degree you could save 10% on your energy bill.
What’s The Ideal Room Temperature? | Hometree
Most central heating systems will allow you to set up a schedule for your heating. Spend half an hour setting up a schedule for the week. Consider when you and your family are at home and when you aren’t. Plan in when you get up and when you go to bed. As the seasons change, take a moment to adapt the schedule.
Invest in a central heating hub. There are several options out there to choose from. Linked to you smart phone via an app you can override your pre-set heating schedule to control what’s happening at home wherever you are.

TECHNOLOGY
How many appliances throughout your home do you leave in standby, day and night? Switching these appliances off will save energy and a few £s on your bill.
The Energy Saving Trust has found that we could save between £45 – £80 every year by switching household appliances off.
Does tech on stand-by use lots of energy? – Which? Conversation
I don’t know about you but I find it hard to sleep with the volume of LEDs, from the countless appliances we own, that continuously beam away throughout the night. The answer is simple, turn technology off, save energy and in my opinion, get a better night’s sleep!