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East Midlands Energy Efficiency

Hints & Tips at Home

We 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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Make sure your radiators are clear so they can heat the space efficiently. Curtains or furniture can easily block them.

Hanging out clothes to dry will save you energy and money over using a tumble drier.

Fit a water butt to collect rainwater. Your roof collects about 85,000 litres of rain each year (around 450 butts full). That’s water you can use for your plants and to wash the car, and it’s free!

Remember to turn off the tap while brushing your teeth – a running tap wastes over 6 litres per minute.

Get into the habit of turning lights off when you leave a room. A family could save between £50 and £90 a year just by remembering to flick a switch, if they don’t already do this.

Insulate hot water pipes along their full length. Don’t waste the energy you have used to heat your hot water.

If you need to use a tumble drier, make sure you use a full load and keep the lint filter clean. It will keep your machine working more efficiently saving energy while also reducing any risk of fire.

Washing a small load of clothes? Check you washing machine’s settings to see if you can use the “half load” programme to save water and energy.

When cooking you can often use the residual heat to to save energy if you switch your cooker off just before you finish cooking. However, you still need to make sure that your food is properly cooked through.

Carbon monoxide is a silent killer. Every year in the UK it kills around 50 people and sends 4000 to A&E for emergency treatment. Make sure you get all your combustion appliances properly serviced and fit an alarm. Good quality alarms are available from most DIY suppliers and take minutes to fit. It could save your life!

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