ENERGY Waste less energy... save Follow these simple tips to stop wasting energy and start save money.
Save on your heating bills 1 Get the best from your room thermostat A room thermostat monitors and controls the temperature in your rooms. By turning down the heating in rooms, even by just 1 C, can save you around 55 a year. It is advisable for babies to sleep in a room of 18 C and the temperature shouldn't drop below 16 C for elderly people and those with mobility issues. To work accurately, thermostats need a free flow of air to sense the temperature. Don t cover thermostats with curtains or block with furniture and site away from windows, radiators and televisions. Heating controls should be installed in a room that you use regularly but positioned away from radiators and windows.
2 Using your radiators effectively You can reduce your heating bills by ensuring each radiator in your home is able to circulate heat properly. Blocking radiators reduces the effectiveness of your heating, so take the following steps to make them more effective: pull furniture away from radiators don't use cabinets to disguise your radiator don't cover your radiators with curtains Also turn radiators in rooms that are rarely used to a lower setting when not in use. Set your thermostatic radiator valves (TRVs) Thermostatic radiator valves control the temperature of your radiators - providing room by room temperature control. If you have these, you should set the radiator valves in each room at a low level and gradually turn them up until the room is at a comfortable temperature. Turning a radiator valve to a higher setting will not make the room heat up any faster - that depends on the radiator and boiler size and setting.
3 Save around your home Switch it off Don t leave lights, mobile phone chargers and appliances on or in standby mode unnecessarily. A TV on standby is still consuming energy! Some satellite and digital TV recorders may need to be left on standby check the user instructions. You could save between 50 and 90 a year just by turning off instead of to standby. 4 Waste less in the kitchen Set your washing machine to 30 o C Use a bowl in the sink when washing up instead of a running tap When using your kettle, boil the amount of water you need don t fill up if you don t need it. You could save over 55 per year wasting less energy in the kitchen.
5 6 The power of a shower If you have a shower which has water heated from your boiler or hot water tank i.e. NOT an electric shower you may be able to fit a water-efficient showerhead. This reduces the amount of hot water used and also the amount of energy used, while still maintaining the sensation of a powerful shower. You can get water efficient showerheads from most DIY stores. Some water companies give these away for free contact your local water company to find out more. You could save up to 75 per year by using a water efficient shower. Draught excluders Heat just loves escaping through gaps in doors, windows, floorboards and other parts of your home. Stop this by blocking the gaps! You can buy draught excluding kits from most DIY stores. Also stop heat escaping by closing your curtains or blinds at night. You could save up to 55 per year by blocking the gaps in your home! 7 Lighting your home There are two main types of low energy lights CFLs (Compact Fluorescent Lamps) and LEDs (Light Emitting Diodes). Energy saving light bulbs come in various shapes, sizes and fittings. Swapping old inefficient halogen bulbs for energy saving light bulbs could save up to 60 per year.
Follow these tips and waste less energy... you could really save s! ENERGY email: mears.energy@mearsgroup.co.uk tel: 0870 607 1400 web: www.mearsgroup.co.uk Sources from the Energy Saving Trust