1. THE KETTLE

How many of us fill up the kettle either halfway up or to the top before boiling our water for that cup of tea or coffee. That is a whole lot of unnecessary heating of water that you will let cool down again and heat it up repeatedly. Since a kettle uses an element, it is one of the most power-hungry appliances in your home. The same principal applies when cooking, making pasta, put enough water into to cook it do not fill up the pot. 

2. SHOWERS AND BATHS

Generally producing hot water is a job that uses a large amount of energy. Whether your hot water is heated via gas or an electrical element it will draw a large amount of power and that mean it costs quite a bit. Cheaper ways to heat up hot water are by a heat pump or solar power. A heat pump transfers heat from the air into your water and can even operate just above freezing pint. The warmer it is though the quicker the heat pump will do its job. But it takes longer than an element or gas heater. Solar is off course the cheapest, in terms of running costs its close to zero or zero. Depending on there is a circulation pump. 

Depending how your hot water is heated you may need a different strategy. And do not forget about the water used. Using less will also help you save. 

In general, shorter cooler showers and baths that are less than full, and cooler are better as they use less energy, less water and cost less. 

For electrical geysers and gas heating have the temperature set as low as you can and still have a comfortable experience. Especially if the water is heated in a geyser and sits around, it loses heat all the time even in an insulated vessel and must be re warmed. And the hotter it is the quicker the heat loss. 

For heat pumps the approach is to set it as low as possible. 

For solar the approach is to maximize the suns heat by choosing your time to use the hot water. Most solar devices have a back up for days with no sun. If you want a nice hot shower or bath in the morning you back up will work through the night getting it ready for you. If you shower in the late afternoon/evening, you can sue the water heated by the sun and turn of or reduce your back up. Its best here to have a time that will use the back up in the late afternoon if the water is not hot enough. 

3. HEATING/COOLING

This is also generally a big-ticket item. Best solution is to heat or cool as little as possible. 

When its cold outside and there is no sun warming your place, keep windows, doors and curtains closed. Good thick curtains will minimize heat loss form windows. Seal bottom of doors with something so there are no draughts. 

When its hot outside keep the windows closed. Open them at night to allow the cooler air into your home. Shade windows or draw curtains where the sun shines into your home. 

When it is cold use an electric blanket or an electric rug when watching TV. When using a heater use an infrared heater that heats objects like you rather than the air in a room.

To keep cool, consider what you are wearing. You can dip your hands or feet in cool water and make sure you stay hydrated. If you have air-conditioning keep the windows and doors closed when you use it. 

4. THE FRIDGE AND FREEZER

We now move onto the items that are not as power hungry or use intensive, but still have influence on your usage and you bill. 

The first step here is when buying a new appliance invest a little more and get one with the best energy efficiency. 

Off course once you have the appliance, we are not suggesting you replace it till it needs replacing. 

Try and open the doors only when you need to, so that cool air does not escape. If your fridge or freezer is half fill, keep it full. For the fridge, bottles of water will suffice, for the freezer be careful as they could freeze and split so only fill them part way or use freezer blocks. This will mean that when you open the door not all the cost air escapes, the coolness is retained by the solid objects. The result the fried or freezer works less hard to get back to the temperature that you set. 

And when putting left over food into the fridge or freezer let it cool down to room temperature before you put it away, so it does not need more energy to cool it down. 

5. LIGHTS AND CHARGERS

Leaving your lights on when they are not needed or leaving your charger plugged in is a steady use of electricity. As are the ready lights on your TV and other electrical goods. Unplugging when you can and turning of lights you do not need on will reduce your energy usage and cost. 

GENERAL 

We hope this helps you reduce your energy usage, saving you money and helping the environment. 

Use less, use appliances thoughtfully and be mindful or running costs when buying appliances.