You love your home and spend a sizeable portion of your precious free time keeping it clean, tidy, secure and looking beautiful. A little gratitude would be nice, but the unpleasant truth is that your home is repaying all your love and adoration by siphoning cash out of your wallet and literally throwing it out the window… And through the roof… And even through your electrical fixtures. It needs to be thwarted.
Here are some simple ways in which you can tame the energy waste that’s slowly but surely sucking balance out of your bank account. Some of them are matters of vigilance while some may require a minor (or even major investment). Even if you face an initial outlay, however, you’ll find that it pays dividends in the future.
Your refrigerator is stealing your food
The fridge can be a financial black hole. While it may not be all that grievous in terms of running costs, it can lead to waste in ways you might not have consider. Energy waste is egregious but food waste is even worse especially with 795 million people going hungry all over the world. Poor refrigerator management leads to fresh produce, dairy products and other perishables being badly placed and eventually forgotten about until it goes to waste and needs to be thrown away. As a nation we throw a staggering £13bn worth of food away every year. Make sure you think about where and how you place food in the fridge to combat this.
Keep an eye on the energy vampires
Your plugs are more than likely feeding electricity to ‘energy vampires’ that consume power even when you’re not using them. Make sure you switch your TV, stereo, games consoles and the like are switched off at the wall, or you could be paying up to £15 a year for them to do nothing. We also recommend installing a smart meter or smart plug to see just how much energy your devices use.
Your windows are leaking money
You don’t have to be shivering away under a blanket for your windows to be leaking heat energy, taking your hard earned cash off down the street with it. Owners of characterful older properties may think that double glazed windows will compromise their home’s aesthetic but UPVC sash windows combine a classic look with money saving technology.
Your shower is throwing money down the drain
Water waste is not just financially draining (pun intended) but environmentally damaging. You can get perfectly clean while still saving on water. Installing a water saving showerhead or taking combat showers can help you save money without compromising your hygiene.
Your loft insulation is sending your energy bills through the roof
Not many of us have much of a reason to go into the loft but it’s worth checking in every now and then to make sure that your loft insulation is intact. If you see damp patches or evidence of animal infestation such as droppings, burrows or gnawed timber frames then it’s a good idea to replace your insulation or face years of wasted energy costs.