Over the past couple of weeks, the UK has been brought to a standstill by Storm Emma and The Beast From The East. In this time, shops have had to close, people haven’t been able to get to work or school, and the National Grid has warned that we’re running out of gas. While this energy shortage didn’t affect households, it still made a lot of people stop and think about how much energy they’re using every single day. Saving energy is essential for the environment and your pockets, so it’s odd that people don’t think about it more often. If you’re looking to use less gas in your own home and save some money, then here are some great tips to help you out.
Be Smart While Cooking
Everyone needs to eat, but that doesn’t mean that you have to use quite as much energy to cook your meals. If you want to reduce the amount of gas you use, a great way to do this is to cook multiple meals at once, rather than just the one. You’re going to be heating the entire oven anyway, so you may as well use it. Then, you can freeze spare meals, and heat them up in a microwave at a later date. This might seem like you’re just cooking your meals twice, but microwaves use a lot less energy than your average gas cooker does. Also, make sure you’re using the right sized hob when heating something up in a pan, and leave your oven door open once you’ve turned your cooker off, to keep your house warm while you’re eating.
Defeat The Draughts
If you want to keep your house warm and use less gas, then blocking draughts should be a priority. Draughts can come from anywhere, so make sure you have a proper look around your home and identify anywhere that heat could be escaping and cold air could be coming in. These places can include around doors and windows, under doors, letterboxes, or even little holes in walls or the roof. Visit www.energysavingtrust.org.uk if you want more information on draught proofing your home. You might also want to invest some money into insulation for your loft. This will cost you a bit but will save you so much more in the long run.
Here are a few cute draught excluders if you fancy one of your own
Sheep Draught Excluder / Fox Draught Excluder / Crayon Draught Excluder / Scandi Draught Excluder / Hedgehog Draught Excluder
Watch Your Windows
You shouldn’t be surprised that windows can lose a lot of heat, and, if your windows have metal frames or are only single glazed, then they’re going to be losing even more heat than most. In this instance, it would be sensible to buy new ones. These days, you can do this online, on websites such as ModernUpvcWindows.co.uk. Make sure you choose uPVC window frames as they’re less conductive of heat than metal ones and that you get at least double glazing, if not triple. Once you’ve installed your new windows, you might also want to buy some thermal curtains or blinds, to keep the heat in at night. Just make sure you open them again during the day, to warm your home naturally with the sun.
Service Your Boiler
If you haven’t had your boiler serviced in a while, it’s likely that it isn’t working as efficiently as it could be. This means that it’s going to be using a lot more energy than it needs to, which is going to cost you and the environment. Having your boiler serviced by a professional will ensure that your boiler is working correctly, thus reducing your carbon footprint and saving you money on energy. However, servicing your boiler is so much more important than just saving energy; It can also save lives. Faulty boilers are incredibly dangerous as they leak carbon monoxide. This can lead to hospitalisations and even deaths. A boiler engineer will be able to spot and fix any leaks before they can become deadly.
Most residential boilers are combination boilers, which makes them easier to service and repair since all their parts are contained with a single unit. If you’re wondering what a combi boiler is, check if you have a combi boiler easily by identifying your set-up in this guide.
It is a shame that it takes a major crisis for people to start thinking about their energy use, but at least it’s happening, and people are becoming more aware of how important it is to be more energy efficient. Of course, reducing your energy use saves you a lot of money over a few years, but it also helps to reduce pollution and preserve the planet, so that it’s still around for our great-grandchildren and great-great-grandchildren. There are so many different ways that you can reduce your carbon footprint, but the tips above are a great place to start.
*This is a collaborative post*