Hints & Tips at HomeWe all want to do our bit. Safety, sustainability and energy efficiency are important to us all. Sometimes it’s the little things that can make a big difference, particularly when we act collectively. Here are some top tips to help at home. |
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Remember to turn off the tap while brushing your teeth – a running tap wastes over 6 litres per minute.
Wash fruit and vegetables in a bowl, not under a running tap, to cut water use. Use the leftover water for your houseplants or patio pots.
Spending one minute less in the shower each day will save up to £8 a year off your energy bills, per person. With a water meter this could save a further £11 off annual water and sewerage bills. If everyone in a four-person household did this it would lead to a total saving of £75 a year.
A dripping tap can waste at least 5,500 litres of water a year. If this is hot water you’re also wasting the energy used to heat it. Get leaking taps fixed promptly.
Solid brick walls can be insulated internally or externally to reduce heat loss.
Fitting a new insulating jacket to a bare hot water tank can save over £100 per year. Costing just a few pounds, the investment can pay itself off in a few months.
Thermal or heavy blinds and curtains can help trap heat and reduce draughts. Close them at night to reduce heating bills.
Giving your plants’ roots a good soaking once or twice a week in dry weather is much better than lightly watering them every day because most of that water just evaporates away. However, new plants do need regular watering until they are established.
Use the sun to reduce your heating bills. Leave internal doors open to rooms which trap the sun so the heat can spread to other areas.
If your charger has an LED to show it’s in use, it is still using energy until you switch it off at the wall or unplug it.
