How to Reduce Your Energy Consumption
Being energy efficient is both good for the environment as well as your pocket. With that in mind, here’s a list of 8 easy ways to reduce your electricity consumption, lower your bills, and do your bit for the planet.
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Buy more energy-efficient appliances
If it’s time to replace the fridge, the washing machine, the tumble dryer or the Hoover, it’s a good idea to look into energy ratings. Modern appliances are way more efficient than older models, but the rating will help you choose the most efficient model.
The ratings, which have recently been updated, now range from A to G with A being the most efficient.
However, the most valuable piece of information is the actual amount of electricity that is used per cycle or per hour. Some ultra-modern washing machines and dishwashers can for example do a full load for around one unit of electricity (or around 35 – 40 cents). If you wash a load a day, it could save you €60 per year compared to older models – which should pay for your new washer in just a few years!
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Use a timer plug for your lights
A timer plug is a cost-effective and simple way to control the time your lights come on and off around the home. They’re pretty cheap to buy – with basic ones costing around €10 at most – and can help to reduce your electricity.
Timer plugs are also a good way to ensure your house is well-lit when you’re not there, which is great from a security perspective.
However, if you’re happy to spend a bit more and be able to control your lights and heat from outside the home, you should look into investing in a smart device, which brings us to our next point…
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Think ‘Smart’
Smart devices allow you to remotely control your home’s heating and lighting via your smartphone or an internet-connected device. This means you’ve more control over your heating and lighting, which allows for greater convenience and savings on your energy bills. For example, if you’re stuck in traffic after work and will be an hour late getting home, you can easily set your heating to come on later for you, so you’re not wasting money heating an empty home.
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Buy low-energy light bulbs (LED)
Like the immersion, we know that they’ll save us money but most of us don’t know exactly how much of an impact they’ll have.
An LED lightbulb uses around 80-90% less electricity than a standard bulb and will last up to 10 times longer. Replacing just one bulb will save you around €6 a year in electricity. So replacing all the lightbulbs in your home could easily save you up to €60 a year depending on how many lights you have. Not bad!
And when you’re leaving the room, turn off the lights. There’s a misconception among many Irish people that turning on and off appliances regularly uses excess electricity and that it may be better to keep appliances on for most of the time.
This is wrong – especially when it comes to newer and more modern devices. If you’re leaving the room, even if only for a few minutes, you’ll save money by turning off the lights, the TV or the portable heater etc.
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Don’t fill the kettle:
If you’re stopping work for a coffee break, only boil the kettle with as much water as you need. It’ll boil quicker and use less energy. A good rule of thumb for appliances is: if it makes things hot, then it uses a lot of electricity.
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Mind the fridge
As your fridge needs to run all day, every day, it uses more energy than you might think. In fact, the cost of running a fridge could be close to €10 a month or more.
For every 10–20 seconds the fridge door is left open, it takes about 45 minutes (and more energy) for it to cool down to its original temperature. So don’t leave the door open for too long while getting food.
And don’t put hot food straight into the fridge or freezer. The fridge or freezer will have to work extra hard and draw more energy to cool it down.
Finally, for best performance keep your fridge set to around 3 or 4 degrees. Any colder and you’ll just end up ruining your fruit and veg.
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Tackle draughts:
Now that you are spending more time at home, you might feel draughts you hadn’t noticed before. Cold air can come up through the floor and from around your skirting board. . Close the curtains in the evenings to keep heat in. Put a chimney balloon in an unused chimney to keep the draughts out and the heat in.
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Heat Pump Dryers:
They cost less to run
Because heat pump technology utilizes the same air that’s already been warmed from the previous cycle, you can expect to pay far less on your electricity bills when compared to a vented or condenser tumble dryer.
They are better for the environment
Heat pump tumble dryers use considerably less energy to dry your laundry when compared to vented or condenser models. In some cases, this can be up to as much as 50% less!
They provide better protection for your clothes
Heat pump tumble dryers dry your laundry at a lower temperature, which provides you with better protection and ensures you get a longer life out of your clothes.
You can put them anywhere you like
Heat pump tumble dryers do not need to be plumbed in, so you can put them wherever is most convenient for you. Vented tumble dryers often require you to plumb them in, or leave a pipe sticking out of your window – but you’ll never have that problem with a heat pump tumble dryer, as all the moisture is stored in an easy-to-empty reservoir. find out more about our Heat Pump Dryers
Did you know ? … at Cal Flavins, we have many great appliances that can significantly lower your electricity usage.
Like our smart plug that allows you to monitor your energy usage.
Move your usage
If you have a smart meter or a night saver meter, see if you can move your consumption to less expensive times of the day and night.
Some smart tariffs offer completely free electricity on some days at the weekend while night saver meters offer up to half-price electricity between 11 pm and 8 am in wintertime (12 am and 9 am in summer). Many new appliances have delay start timers and this can help you avoid peak-time usage.
There are of course potential fire risks to running appliances late at night, so consider this and weigh up the risk/cost benefits for yourself.
Finally, get switching
According to figures from Eurostat, Irish electricity prices are the fourth most expensive in the EU. It doesn’t help that we’ve also seen a spate of energy price increases from suppliers over the last few months.
You can read about why energy prices are on the rise here, or listen back to a recent radio interview we did on the topic.
The good news is that you can offset energy price increases by switching suppliers!
Switching is still the quickest and easiest way to reduce your electricity costs. Right now you could save hundreds of euros a year on your annual bills just by switching suppliers.
Contact us for your Energy Saving Requirements.
