Learning ways to save electricity will not only help our environment but will also significantly help your bank balance. Did you know that in 2018 it was estimated that Brits were wasting up to £4.4 billion of electricity every year? That is a vast amount of energy simply going out the window, draining on resources and costing us all more.
By taking a few simple steps you could drastically reduce your usage, help to cut carbon emissions, save electricity and also money.
Switch Off The Lights
This has to be the simplest and most effective thing every single one of us could do more of. Leaving a room? Turn the light off. Going out all day? Check that all rooms lights are off. Going to bed? Turn off lights, and use night lights or sensor lights instead.
“Around 21 per cent of Brits admit to leaving lights on when going to work which produces enough carbon emissions to match 45 flights around the world, while 10 per cent regularly do so when leaving a room and 7 per cent keep a light on when going to bed”
House Beautiful
By being conscious of this bad habit and changing it we could all be saving hundreds of pounds each year which could go towards something far more rewarding.
Light Bulbs
What can make leaving lights on even worse is using outdated, energy-draining ones. Your basic light bulb may seem like the best value but these will use far more energy as well as cost you more in the long run. Depending on which energy-saving bulb you opt for you could actually use up to 80% less energy and get up to 25 times more use out of it!
There are three main types of eco-friendly light bulbs available on the market: halogen incandescent, LED and CFL. Each has its own pros and cons but the most energy-efficient choices are your LEDs and CFL bulbs. What is important to note with these bulbs is that where we have always previously looked at watts for choosing a light bulb, when picking an eco one, you will want to look at the lumens. For home use, you will need around 500 lumens and for large dark spaces, you will need around 1000 lumens.
Don’t Use Standby
Did you know that electrical items that are left on standby (even those that are done charging) still use up energy and, depending on the age of the appliance, this could be up to 15%? That means that even though you aren’t using it, it is still costing you money and using up vital energy resources. The Energy Saving Trust believes that an average UK home wastes between £50 and £86 each year just by leaving appliances on standby so switch it off to ensure you are helping to save the planet as well as your wallet!
Unplug
Items that are left plugged in but are not wired up to anything (mobile phone charger) will continue to use a small percentage of energy (the amount will vary depending on the appliance, age, energy-saving modes and so on). Turn it all off and unplug the item to save electricity and prevent a fire.
Electricity Supplier
And finally, turn your attention to your chosen electricity supplier. How long has it been since you took a close look at their tariffs, what they can offer you, how sustainable they are, how they provide electricity to you?
- Do they provide renewable energy?
- Do they use green energy from solar panels or wind farms? Do they offset their carbon?
- Do they have future promises to help the environment?
- Can they provide you with solar panels?
All of these can and will help you to save money and electricity and protect our environment.
If you can follow some or all of these ways to save electricity, I bet you will see a huge difference in your utility bills and you can feel rewarded that you are also doing your bit for our planet.
Emma Reed is a Mother and Blogger who lives in Hampshire with her 2 children, Jake (8) and William (4), and her husband, Rob. She began her parenting blog back in 2016 when she self-published a book on baby teething. Her blog is inevitably what led her to begin living a more eco-friendly lifestyle and she now uses her platforms to show others how they can also adapt their own lives to incorporate these changes.
You can read her blog over at www.emmareed.net or follow her on Instagram over at @emmareed_writes