High energy bills are one big headache that you shouldn’t be suffering of. They usually come as a result of inefficient appliances and a careless use of your home resources. But, as hard as it can seem at first sight, save money on energy bills can be as easy as implementing small changes in your lifestyle and household.
With our advice, you could even start saving money on your energy bills today without giving up your home comforts.
Improving home insulation
Heat can be lost through conduction in the walls, windows, roof, floor, doors… To compensate this loss, you are likely to turn the heater up and keep it on for longer, which (there’s no need to say) will result in some wallet draining. So how do you fix it? The best way of keeping your home warm is to install double glazed windows and insulating roof and walls as much as possible. If you’re renting, you can also improve your home insulation: you can clean your HVAC filters to improve air movement, use curtains or blinds to cover windows and rugs on wooden floors, and even get a door sweep and use silicone to fix some cracks.
Taking care of your boiler
Yes, we know. As with new insulation, installing a new boiler seems like a big expense. But again, it could save you lots of money in the medium-long term. Boiler servicing is recommended at least once a year to keep your boiler in good condition. It will help you avoid possible breakdowns and the gas engineer could also be able to fix any inefficiencies, saving you a 15% of your annual expenses. You should also keep an eye on room temperature. Keeping the thermostat between 19ºC and 21ºC will keep your home warm at a good price (remember! The energy expense increases up to 7% per degree up). Keep your radiators clean and uncovered to help the air diffusion.Â
On the other hand, if you’re using other home heating devices like a gas furnace, you should still find the time to take care of it because just like a boiler, failing to maintain a gas furnace may cause some issues, resulting in expensive gas bills. In that case, the at-home DIYer should check their natural gas furnace before every heating season. Maintaining this system not only helps keep your gas bill low, but it also protects you from the risk of carbon monoxide poisoning.
So, whether you own a boiler or a gas furnace, you should know how to take care of them and conduct checks to avoid serious problems, which may contribute to high monthly household bills.
Good usage of water
Hot water is the second-largest expense in powering most homes, and do not forget is probably one of our most valuable goods. Fortunately, there are lots of ways of reducing your water usage, that you might not have thought of. We all enjoy long showers, but if you stay under the water for 30 minutes, you will realise you have in fact fill the bath tub as if you were going for a long, long and relaxing bath. Be also thoughtful and close the tap when brushing your teeth or shaving to avoid waste. What about the dishwashers? First of all, pre-wash your dishes, removing pieces of food (but not leaving the dishes absolutely clean: that’s what the dishwasher is for!). Then, load the dishwasher efficiently, in the following way: plates facing the center, on the bottom rack; utensils should be pointing up (be careful not to hurt yourself!); bowls and cups on the top row, in a downward angle.
Avoiding mistakes in the kitchen
Any inefficient appliance will make you incur in great expenses, and your kitchen contains the majority of them. Fridges energy usage represents the 20% of your overall home energy expense, which can cost you up to £300. Getting your fridge installed away from heat sources (as the oven or even sun coming through a window); making sure it’s usually filled up ¾ of full capacity and keeping it at no less than 6ºC (-15ºC for a freezer) will ensure its efficiency for longer. When using your oven, remember not to constantly open the door. We know sometimes you just want to check how your food is cooking, but this will release all the hot air and the oven will need to heat it up again, with the subsequent waste of energy. You can also take advantage of thermal inertia and turn the oven off 30 minutes earlier than usual, so your food is cooked the residual heat.
Conclusion
Indeed, running a household can be challenging. Aside from the things you need to do to keep everything in your home running smoothly, you also have to be responsible for paying your monthly household bills. However, doing so can be financially draining if you always end up with high power, water, gas, and other high utility bills each month.
Thankfully, by keeping the information mentioned above in mind, you’ll know how to lower your monthly household bills without affecting your daily household routine.
