Times of economic turbulence, coupled with the depletion of fossil fuels means we need to seriously consider our home energy usage to counter inflating energy prices. Here are a few tips from MOLLY MAID on saving energy in the home:
- Turn larger items off standby, particularly televisions and the kids’ games consoles. Appliances left in standby mode of still plugged into the wall continue to use energy.
- Select your appliances carefully because there’s a huge difference between energy ratings. For example, an A rated oven will consume 40% less energy than a B rated one.
- Lighting accounts for around 7% of a typical household’s energy bill, so cutting your lighting bill is one of the easiest ways to save energy and money. Think of all the halogen lights around your house – changing those for LED bulbs could save you around $70 per year, nullifying the initial investment.
- Heating and hot water account for over half of the typical household’s hydro bill, so driving efficiencies here is probably the most impactful saving you can make. For example, don’t bother heating your spare bedrooms until they’re really needed (close the vents to achieve this). Reduce your thermostat by 1 degree and you could save as much as $100 per year in heating costs.
- Be more efficient in the kitchen. Sometimes you need to have the oven on for a particular period of time, so why not make the most of that heat? Batch cook multiple dishes at once, then freeze the extras to save heating a half empty oven (and maintaining a half empty freezer). Open the oven door when you’re finished and allow it to heat the kitchen, it will postpone the need for your heat to kick in.
