This website uses cookies so that we can provide you with the best user experience possible. Cookie information is stored in your browser and performs functions such as recognising you when you return to our website and helping our team to understand which sections of the website you find most interesting and useful.
Tips to help save energy everyday
Author: Rointe
Read our tips to help save energy in your daily life with our latest Rointe blog post. From quick wins to long term commitments, we show you how here.
Many people become concerned at the rising energy costs in the lead up to and during the winter season. As the days become colder and the nights darker, they often wonder…
Can I reduce my costs?
How do I do this?
How do I save energy?
There are many different ways to do both. Some are easy wins and others require a little more preparation. Here we round up our top 30 tips to help save energy in your daily life:
Quick wins to save energy
- Send regular meter readings to your supplier. They’ll use the up to date information to predict bills that are more accurate in the future. Thus avoiding an overestimation, saving you money in the short term.
- Unplug all appliances if not in use. You could save up to £30 per year by switching off appliances completely rather than using the standby mode.
- Shut your windows in winter. It’s an obvious one but if your heating’s on and the window is open then you’re wasting energy and money letting warm air escape and cold air in.
Our Open Windows function will detect when the temperature drops 4ºC from the set temperature within a 30 minute time period.
This will then activate the anti-frost mode, avoiding energy being spent heating a room with the window open.
- Lower the product temperature by 1ºC. You might be used to higher room temperatures in your home but 21ºC is the norm. Reducing the temperature by just 1ºC can save you up to 10% off your heating bill per year.
- Don’t block radiators with furniture. Leaving the radiators free of furniture means that warm convection currents can flow around the room freely.
Set the temperature of your hot water tank to the right temperature.
There’s no point having it set at maximum to add cold water in the bath or at the tap for comfortable use.
Our temperature evolution function on the Rome and Siena models allows you to see the progress of the heating process towards the user established target temperature. This gives you more control over your consumption and can help to save energy.
- Turn off the lights. Many of us forget to turn them off but it is definitely worth it to help with energy saving. You could also relax by candlelight for one evening per week and enjoy a romantic meal.
- In winter, close your curtains or blinds when it begins to get dark to trap the heat inside and keep your home warm. Likewise, ensure they are open throughout the day to make use of natural light rather than using your bulbs.
- Learn how to layer on colder days. Layering your clothes means you trap warm air between the layers, keeping you cosy on a chilly day. Try layering a t-shirt or vest under a sweater or adding a knitted scarf to your outfit and turn down the heating.
Try washing your clothes at 30-40º C. Your washing machine won’t have to work as hard to heat the water. Most bio detergents work better at a lower temperature anyway so a great energy saving tip.
- Air-dry your laundry rather than use the tumble dryer. A windy day will ensure dry, fresh and non-wrinkled clothes and energy saved from not using the tumble dryer.
You might even be able to save on the ironing too!
- Did you know that 49% of us overcharge our gadgets? Unplug your device after fully charged to avoid energy waste. Overcharging certain devices can actually lower the battery performance and poses a fire risk.
- Fix dripping taps. Don’t lose your precious heated water to a leaky tap.
- Take short showers rather than filling up the bath and try not to turn the shower on for long before you go in to reduce hot water wastage.
- Set your fridge/freezer to a lower temperature so it doesn’t need to work as hard. If you need to defrost food, do it in the fridge because frozen food will keep the fridge cooler.
- Only boil as much water as you need for your cup of coffee. A simple tip to help reduce energy consumption on a daily basis.
- Preparation is key. Try to cook a few meals at once whilst the oven is on. By batch cooking, you will save energy used to heat the oven to temperature. Plus leave your oven door open after cooking to help warm your kitchen.
- Select the right size pan for your hob and put a lid on. Heating a small pan on a large ring wastes energy and lids reduce cooking times.
Long term energy saving tips
- Switch to energy saving light bulbs such as LED versions. They can last up to 15 times longer and use up to 90% less energy than traditional halogen lighting. LED bulbs come in many shapes and sizes but are slightly more expensive. Start by switching one room at a time and you’ll slowly begin to see the energy savings.
Install smart energy monitors and controls.With smart controls such as programmable thermostats, Wi-Fi apps (such as the free Rointe Connect app) and thermostatic radiator valves.
You could turn the radiators on or off at home, whilst commuting or abroad.
Being able to control each heating product in your home puts you in charge and means you could potentially save money in the end by managing your energy consumption more effectively.
- Use solar panels and you could money on your electricity. Using solar energy is not only green but also efficient as they can still generate electricity on a cloudy day. Your home could qualify for free solar panels from energy companies and what’s more, the UK government has a feed-in tariff scheme. This means you can apply to get payments from your energy supplier if you generate your own electricity.
- If your home doesn’t have double or triple glazing you might want to consider it. Even though it is expensive to install, it will improve the thermal comfort of your home, increase your energy savings a little bit each year and could act as a sound-proofing effect.
- Unless your home is quite new, draughts can increase the cost of your heating. You will lose heat through chimneys, doors, windows and gaps around the floor. Choose to draught proof your home either through a professional, which can be quite expensive, or DIY. You can purchase draught excluders to fit around your door or secondary glazing film for your window from most good DIY shops and many are easy to install. Don’t forget to draught proof your letterbox too, it’s amazing how chilly the hallway can become from a draughty letterbox!
- Ask your current provider about discounted tariffs available.
They should do a cost calculation for you and let you know if you’re eligible to move to a different tariff.
Even if you’re happy with your current energy provider, there’s no harm in using one of the many switch comparison sites to see what else is out there. Many offer cashback deals or freebies for switching and could provide better energy savings than your current tariff.
- You can check your Energy Performance Certificate (EPC) for your home, which will tell you the assessed energy performance and provides recommendations to help improve your homes overall energy performance. An EPC is required for all properties when constructed, sold or let so keep this in mind if you’re building your own home, buying or even if you’re a landlord.
- Did you know that a quarter of heat is lost through the roof in an uninsulated home and a third from the walls?
Your home should be insulated to the standards set by Building Regulations in England and Wales and Building Standards in Scotland.
Visit Energy Saving Trust to find out about grants and help to insulate your home, especially if you have cavity walls or inadequate loft insulation. The UK Government also has energy schemes available to help with energy bills.
- Don’t position a thermostat by doors or above a heat source i.e. radiators. This would give a false reading.
When installing any thermostat or controls, ensure they are in a convenient access location but not by a heat source, external door or draughty areas.
False readings could increase your energy consumption if they are next to a cold zone such as your front door, as the draught will mean your heating is continuously on to try heat the room.
Don’t feel overwhelmed with the urge to save energy all at once. Start by choosing a few of the energy saving tips above, try them for one week and see how you get on. Keep them up and over the next few weeks choose more energy saving tips to try and gradually you’ll maximise your energy saving and potentially decrease your energy costs.
Facebook
Twitter
LinkedIn
Email