

7 minutes to read
With greater flexibility when it comes to home working, along with a global pandemic, we’re spending more time in our homes than ever before. You’ve probably noticed your energy bills creeping up if you are at home more than usual. So to help save you some money, and preserve some of the Earth’s precious resources, here are our tips to save energy at home.
Saving energy is great on many levels. Here are some of the reasons you might want to start reducing your energy consumption at home:
Here is our easy-to-implement list of energy saving ideas for your home. When it requires a habit change, try to pick one per household member and take ownership for your choice – remind other members of your household when they forget to do things the energy-saving way!
Some appliances, such as televisions and games consoles, use up to 75% of their energy when they’re switched off or on standby. So unplugging them at the wall is a great first step.
A phone or device charger can use the same amount of electricity when charging your device as when the device is fully charged but plugged in. So try charging your phone during the day rather than overnight, so you can unplug it as soon as it hits 100%.
Switching the lights off any time you don’t need them is also one of the easiest ways to save energy and reduce your electricity bill. Also, switching to more energy-efficient bulbs can make a big difference.
Habit building tip: Stick a post-it note somewhere you’ll see it just before bed, to remind you to do a sweep of your home and switch off any appliances you’ve used during the day.
Gaps around doors and windows will let your precious winter warmth escape or the heat of summer creep in. Using a draught excluder, sealing any gaps around your doors or windows or hanging thick curtains will help you keep that warmth inside. Curtains are also a great way to easily brighten up a room or hallway.
Did you know that the best temperature to set your thermostat to in winter is 19 degrees? Or that your air conditioning, if you have it, should be set no lower than 24 degrees in summer? This allows your appliance to work at its most efficient and allows the body to be at a comfortable functioning temperature. Turning your thermostat down by just 1 degree can save approximately 10% on your home energy bill.
We all love to have a hot and steamy shower after a long day and sometimes find ourselves losing track of time. The average shower uses 10 litres of water per minute so every minute counts.
Try to keep your showers under 4 minutes – maybe try showering to your favourite song in a quick, in/out routine. Remember that you’ll not just save on the water use, you’ll also save on the energy it takes to heat that water.
Run your washing machine or dishwasher on full loads only
How often do you find yourself doing ‘a quick load’ just to get it done and out of the way?
Whether it’s dishes or the never-ending pile of clothes, it’s time to think twice before running a half load.
Even with an appliance that has a half-load function, it’s handy to be aware:
If you want to see even more tips for saving water, our post on saving 1,600 litres in a week is a great place to go next.
It may not feel like it saves energy, but removing as much single-use plastic from your home as you can makes a huge difference to your household’s overall energy consumption.
This is because the energy it takes to create single-use bottles, along with the additional resources and energy it takes to process them for recycling, means that reducing the number you use can have a big positive impact.
With plenty of options including fabric coated with beeswax to replace cling film, along with silicone, canvas and aluminium replacements for all your daily household items, there should be something to suit most people.
Habit building tip: Start small and work through your single-use plastics slowly, using up anything in your cupboards before you replace it with a more sustainable option.
We all have those pesky bits of paper lying around the house – so why not make use of it? Collate all of the un-official paper in your house and create fun notepads for the kids to draw on, to write your shopping lists on, or even have some fun making origami.
The UK population consumes around 95 million cups of coffee per day and one clever company has decided to make their stand and try to reduce the amount of coffee grounds that are disposed of.
Coffee logs are compacted coffee grounds that can be burnt on a fire or woodburning stove. The logs result in 80% fewer carbon emissions than if the grounds went straight to landfill. They also burn 20% longer and 20% hotter than wood logs.
There are a few quick and simple ways to reduce your energy consumption in the kitchen:
You want to make the most of those sunny winter days (especially in the UK when they’re few and far between!). So throw your curtains or blinds wide open and let the light in. This will help heat your home naturally and elevate your mood.
Saving energy around the house can be simple and cost-effective like the points above, or advanced and considered an investment. Some longer-term ideas could include:
These are all major renovations and may not be within reach for those of us just starting on our energy-saving journey, but could be good to add to the list of future aspirations.
As you can see, whether you’re in the advanced stages of energy saving, or you’re dipping your first toe in the water, there is still plenty that we can do to reduce our energy use at home.
We’d love to see your energy-saving efforts so please continue to share your photos with us on Instagram or Facebook.
If you’re ready to take on your energy consumption head-on, you can download the Ailuna app today by clicking the links below.
Why not start with one of the following dares:
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