Five ways you can reduce the price of your energy bill this quarter.
Like everyone else I have been stressing about how I’m going to be able to afford to keep the lights on, house warm and food in my belly this winter. I’ve done a little research on small changes we can make to reduce the costs adding up on bills.
A lot of them are things we heard growing up like “turn off the light when you leave a room” and “hurry up in that bath!”
Some of this may seem like common sense but the little things really do matter.
Time maNAGEMENT
Planning out your time can make a huge difference when it comes to saving money on your bills. Making a conscious effort to reduce the amount of time you spend in the shower for example can save you a pretty penny by the end of the year. It’s not just shorter showers and shallower baths that will save you though. Planning ahead in the kitchen can help you out a lot. by meal prepping your food you cut down the number of days you are using all the kitchen appliances to cook, saving you time and money.
COST AWARENESS
Knowing what the energy you’re using costs will help you to be mindful of how much you use. A good tool for this is to invest in a smart meter which uses a connection to your energy supplier to keep you aware of your usage. This allows you to see what appliances are using the most energy and you can adjust your usage accordingly (also see energy efficiency below). The smart meter also sends all of your readings to your supplier so you won’t be overcharged with an estimate.
TEAM UP
You can find ways to reduce energy used by teaming up with friends, family or even good neighbours and share cooking if you live close by. You can also carpool when going to work or even going food shopping to save on petrol costs. Another benefit to doing this is that you can shop in bulk and share items to bring the food bill down too not just the energy bill. There are so many ways we can help each other when we are all struggling a little.
PREPARE YOUR HOME
Getting your home ready for winter is so important as it can help to save on your energy bill. Draught excluding your home will allow you to retain heat and use less energy trying to keep the house warm. Make sure all windows and doors are sealed and secure so you’re not losing precious heat. Stock up on cosy blankets and thick socks to keep you and your family toasty when the nights get chilly. Statistics show that Brits is the most energy between 6-9pm so snuggling up on the sofa with blankets in the evenings could mean you use a little less heat.
energy efficiency
It would be great to have a completely energy efficient home. Making the switch over to energy efficient appliances would be quite costly if you did it all at once, even though it may save you money in the long run. I would suggest slowly making the change by focusing on efficiency when you’re in the market for a new appliance anyway. Using a smart meter can show you what appliances are draining the most energy and these are the ones I would choose to focus on eventually replacing. Then replacing the smaller ones when the need arises. Having energy efficient appliances especially in the kitchen makes a huge difference on an energy bill in the long term.
If you have any other suggestions please share them below as we could all use a little help.
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