How to Reduce Your Energy Consumption at Home or at Work
There are many benefits to reducing your energy consumption. Using less energy can reduce your household or business’s bills, lessen your environmental impact and make it easier to switch to a renewable energy source such as wind or solar.
Would you like to lower your energy consumption? We’ve listed 15 highly effective tips and techniques below to help you reduce your energy consumption at work or at home for lower bills and a reduced environmental impact.
Install high quality insulation
How much do you spend to heat your home or building? A large amount of the heat that your boiler generates during winter is lost due to poor insulation, costing your household or business hundreds of extra pounds every year.
Installing high quality insulation in your home’s walls, flooring and ceiling reduces the level of heat loss that occurs during winter, allowing you to heat your property using less energy.
Switch from artificial light to daylighting
Artificial lighting is responsible for approximately 11% of residential and 18% of commercial energy consumption. By switching to daylighting, you can reduce the amount of energy your property consumes while also making it healthier.
Natural light, whether through exterior windows or skylights and other daylighting systems, has a wide range of health benefits, playing a role in maintaining a healthy immune system and achieving optimal workplace productivity.
Use a renewable heating system
Does your home or building use a conventional boiler? By switching to a renewable source of heat, you can reduce the amount of energy you use to heat your property while helping the environment.
Energy efficient, renewable heating systems such as solar hot water and air source heat pumps produce green, renewable heat that keeps your property comfortable without the energy usage of a conventional boiler or electric heater.
Clean your air conditioner frequently
Do you use air conditioning to cool your building in summer? If your building uses an HVAC system to transport warm or cool air into specific rooms, it’s important to keep it clean to reduce your total energy consumption.
Dirty filters, compressors and other air conditioning components can significantly reduce your HVAC system’s efficiency. By cleaning and servicing your system often, you can reduce its energy consumption and improve its efficiency.
Unplug electronics when they aren’t in use
Many electronic devices, such as microwaves and TV sets, use electricity passively even when they’re switched off. Energy efficiency experts call these items “energy vampires”, as they passively increase your home’s energy bill in the background.
You can monitor a device’s passive energy usage using an electricity usage monitor – a small device that connects between the appliance and the electrical socket. If an appliance draws electricity passively, unplug it when it isn’t in use.
Buy EU Energy Star electronic devices
Have you ever seen the Energy Star label on an appliance or electrical device? The Energy Star label represents that an electrical device is in the Energy Star database, which catalogues energy efficient devices.
The EU Energy Star standards are set by the European Commission in order to give consumers relevant, up-to-date energy efficiency information. If an appliance has an Energy Star label, it’s usually an energy efficient choice within its category.
Insulate your building’s windows
There’s more to insulation than just your building’s walls, floors and ceiling. Around one third of the typical home’s heat loss occurs through doors and windows, making window insulation a highly effective choice for retaining heat.
There are numerous ways to insulate your building’s windows. Inexpensive curtains or blinds have some insulating effective. However, the most effective way to reduce heat loss is to use double glazed windows, which block most heat transfer.
Close interior doors during winter
Not all heat is lost to the outside. During winter, when you heat certain parts of your home and not others, leaving a door open can result in heat escaping to spaces that aren’t in use, increasing the amount of energy required to heat your property.
During winter, when your home needs heat the most, keep interior doors closed to stop heat from escaping living rooms, home offices and bedrooms for hallways and other unused spaces.
Turn down your winter temperature
Do you heat your home in winter? The greater the difference between your home’s interior temperature and the exterior temperature, the more you’ll need to spend to keep your home warm and comfortable.
Instead of heating your home to the same level every day, adjust your heating based on the exterior weather conditions. While you may need to wear more clothing than usual, this small change can have a significant impact on your energy consumption.
Generate your electricity independently
Does your home depend on the national grid for its electricity? One of the best ways to make your home more energy efficient is to generate your own electricity using a renewable source such as solar panels, a wind turbine or residential hydropower.
These systems generate electricity from renewable sources, powering your property at no environmental cost. They’re also eligible for the Feed-in Tariff, generating cash that can be used to offset your home’s energy bills.
Open interior doors during summer
During summer, closed doors can result in heat collecting in occupied rooms. This can increase the demands of your home’s air conditioning system resulting in high electricity consumption and equally high energy bills.
Keep interior doors open during summer so that heat can travel between rooms to create a cool, comfortable environment, reducing the need for air conditioning as a way to keep your property comfortable.
Install tiles or carpeting on bare floors
Tiles, carpeting and other flooring materials shield your feet from the cold concrete subfloor beneath your home. During winter, this results in a warmer home that can cost significantly less to heat.
If your home has bare floors, installing a thick flooring material can provide an extra layer of insulation, reducing the effects of heat loss and helping your home maintain a consistent temperature throughout the year.
Limit your use of kitchen appliances
Kitchen appliances such as ovens and stovetops can consume a significant amount of electricity, making it best to only use them when it’s absolutely necessary. For a more energy efficient source of heat, try using the microwave instead.
Use blinds or curtains to block sunlight
Although blinds and curtains aren’t widely viewed as forms of insulation, both can have insulating effects during winter. You can also use blinds and curtains during summer to block excess sunlight from entering into and heating your property.
Use blinds or curtains to block sunlight during the peak periods of the day, keeping your home or building’s interior cooler and reducing the amount of energy used by the air conditioning system to maintain a steady temperature.
Would you like to reduce your energy bills?
Reducing your energy consumption is one of the best ways to lower the amount you spend on energy. An even more effective way to lower your energy bills is to switch to a renewable energy source such as solar or wind.
We specialise in renewable energy and can help you make the switch to solar, saving thousands of pounds over the next decade. Our expert team can help you learn more about the benefits of switching your home or property to solar energy.
Contact us now to learn more about the benefits of switching to solar energy and get started producing your own eco-friendly, renewable and free electricity.
