Posts tagged: energy

5 Tips To Save Money On Home Energy Costs

Home energy costsBeing energy efficient is not only an environmentally conscious decision, it’s an economical one as well. With the cost of living continually on the rise and energy costs projected to increase throughout the years to come, watching home energy consumption is quickly becoming a high priority. If you are looking for ways to cut down on your next bill, check out these 5 top tips to save money on home energy costs.

Helpful Habits

The first step to making a significant saving on your energy bill is to change the way you use power in your home. Make it a strict household policy to turn off any lights that aren’t needed, switch off appliances after use and to check all power points are off before leaving the house. With a bit of planning, you can make a difference to your energy costs simply by being more conscientious.

Solar Savings

When it comes to cutting home energy costs, solar power is undoubtedly one of the best long term investments you can make. Thanks to recent Government rebates, many homes are now equipped with the latest in solar technology, and the results are impressive. Harnessing the natural energy of the sun slices your power bill while making a significant positive environmental change.

Energy Efficient Fittings

There are a range of small changes you can make to your home to ensure the best energy efficiency. Try equipping all of your light fittings with specially designed energy saving bulbs for brighter illumination and over half the usage of traditional bulbs. Another great way to cut energy costs is to install timer plugs which only switch on when you need them to. Simply program the set times into the switch, and it will only use energy during these specific times.

Smart Appliances

When it comes time to replace your old appliances, make sure you look for new models which display high energy efficiency ratings. Everything from your washing machine and dryer to fridge and dishwasher can all make a significant difference when they are designed to use energy sparingly and effectively. You’d be surprised just how much of a saving smart appliances can make to your long term energy costs.

Getting Out of Trouble

Sometimes despite all of your best efforts, you might find yourself hit with an exorbitant energy bill that is just too much to pay. Your first step should be to consult your energy provider to try and work through a payment plan that will allow you to make regular repayments until the amount is paid in full. However if this approach is not successful, or if you have already fallen behind in your payments, it’s time to enlist professional help.

Fox Symes debt solutions are one of the leading providers of advice and support to Australians that are struggling with debt. They will not only help you to get back on track, but they can also negotiate with your creditors on your behalf. Don’t let the stress of an unpaid energy bill turn into a seriously damaging debt problem.

With these top tips, you can be well on your way to cutting your energy costs and living a more economical and environmentally friendly lifestyle.

Sharon has recently been looking for ways to get her finances under control by saving energy around the home. She also enlisted the help of Fox Symes debt solutions in order to get on top of her finances and recommends that other people looking to save money to do the same. 

Top Tips For Saving Energy In The Home To Cut Down The Bills

Save_Energy_Save_MoneyWith gas and electricity bills in the UK constantly on the rise, many people are looking at ways to improve energy efficiency in their home.

Here I look at a number of great ways of not only saving energy at home but also saving a fair bit of money too.

Keep In The Heat

There are a number of measures you can take in order to keep in the heat.

Curtains are one of the simplest measures to utilise in regards to saving energy; after all many of us have them fitted in our homes. Simply drawing them in the evenings and opening them in the morning to let a little natural light in can greatly help keep the warmth in.

Give The Home A Makeover

Now I don’t mean in any 60 Minute Makeover home decorating kind of way, but looking at the fundamentals such as cavity insulation, insulating hot water pipes and tanks and lagging the boiler. It is also worth getting your boiler serviced each year, as inefficient boilers can end up costing you much more on your energy bills than a properly maintained boiler ever would.

Loft insulation is another great way to lock in the heat, saving energy and a few quid to boot.

If you have the funds available, double or triple glazing offers another way to keep the warm in and might make the home a little quieter too, at least from external noise.

Once you keep the heat in, knocking the thermostat down by a single degree will then actually cut down your heating usage by as much as ten per cent – a great way of saving energy.

Standby Is Not Your Friend

Far too many of us are guilty of leaving gadgets and gizmos on standby rather than turning them off at the mains. It might not seem like much, but it is estimated that as much as £730m is wasted across the UK by having DVDs, TVs, computers and the like on standby rather than switched off.

Light Bulbs

By fitting energy efficient light bulbs in your home instead of regular bulbs, it may cost more in the short term, but in the long term it will save money as they not only last longer, but will also help cut your electricity bill down.

Hang Me Up To Dry

Investing in indoor clothes and hanging up your washing the old school way can also cut down the bills over using a tumble dryer, so if you haven’t already started airing your laundry out the old fashioned way, today could be the perfect day to start.

Other Measures

Draft excluders, only using the amount of water you really need, showers over baths – there are a number of other great ways to save a pretty penny on your energy bills, so experiment and see which measures work well in your household.

So if you’ve had a nasty surprise when your energy bill arrived this month, challenge yourself to save energy.

Louisa Jenkins is an energy expert who offers people advice on saving energy in their home.