Ways to Conserve Your Energy Consumption

[MOIC]

Given it affects us all, there must be hundreds of ways to conserve energy. What suggestions do you have to reduce your home energy consumption?

I'll start with 3:

1. Wear a gilet.
2. Sensors for your lighting & replace bulbs with lower wattage LED.
3. Just heat 1 room in the house (when required) and use that as your 'living' room.

 

[fisicx]

Turn things off! If you don't need it turn it off. Don't leave it on standby, switch it off at the wall.

Agree with the one room thing. We turned off all the radiators except the living room and bathroom. Never understood why you need to heat a bedroom.

Cook efficiently. Prepare things and only turn on the hob/oven when you need it.

Keep the fridge/freezer full. Saves a big chink of energy.

Only fill the kettle with enough water to make one cup. So many people fill it up and boil a full kettle for just one/two cups.

Turn off all those fancy outside lights.

We have a wood burner and that's the only heating we have in the winter (apart from 2 hours central heating in the morning). during the day if we get chilly I put on a thicker jumper. Our energy bills are tiny.

As an aside, when I grew up we didn't have central heating. None of us died from cold. We just wore more clothes (and socks in bed).

 

[Paul Norman]

When in the UK, I run the heating thermostate at 17 degrees. I know people with theirs at 24. The difference must be immense.

And, as stated, turn stuff off. It you have children that won't turn stuff off, make them live in a tent.

 

[Mark T Jones]

Go round to friends' houses.

 

[MBE2017]

I just bought an air fryer, it’s been a total revelation, cooks most meals in 10-20mins, and as a bonus is very small, so cuts down on portion size. Much cheaper than using an oven, I only use it and the microwave now.

The small portions do not bother myself since I have always eaten small meals, but it has cut down the families waste even further.

I just bought the family a heated blanket each, costs approx 4-5p per hour, so half hour to warm the bed max before going to sleep.

Our central heating is remaining off, small heater in bedrooms and bathroom cheaper to put on for 5mins to take the chill off 1st thing in the morning, jumpers and throws for the evening. Only 5min shower allowed each day for hot water, even tea and coffee are done in the microwave.

 

[MOIC]

Go round to friends' houses.

. . . . or live with your neighbours!

 

[MOIC]

Cook efficiently. Prepare things and only turn on the hob/oven when you need it.

. . . . . Also cook multiple things in the oven whilst it's on cooking you single pizza or meal.

 

[UKSBD]

Fill things before using them

Washing machine
Tumble dryer
Dishwasher
Oven (use top oven instead of bottom, if only small amount)
Freezer

 

[IanSuth]

Anything that needs to heat or cool water is an energy monster. Water has a huge specific heat capacity, do not heat or chill any more than you need to - if you are about to do the washing up and have made a cup of tea then the bit left in the kettle at the end goes in the washing up bowl even (although you should really be waiting and just doing a full dishwasher load at a time), shower rather than bath

If you have concrete floors wear slippers/shoes in the house. Having cold feet will make you feel colder and you will compensate by putting the heating higher.

Think before you open the fridge or freezer so you only have door open for minimal time, same with oven although that at least just heats the house as the heat escapes.

Go old school and if you have any draughts under doors use a draught excluder like your gran had (bonus points if it looks like a dachshund made of corduroy with button eyes)

If you have an open fire and are not using it - get the flue/chimney temporarily blocked or at least restricted - it is letting your heat out

 

[BustersDogs]

I've always lived like this. I remember trying to find energy efficient lightbulbs in the days NO ONE had ever heard of them, just so I could put one in my room when I lived with my parents. I even went into the electricity board showroom, remember those?! But they had never heard of them either.

About the only thing I might be able to save on is a new boiler, but throwing away a 30 year old boiler in perfect working order, when the jury is still OUT on the best way to heat homes seems pointless? My home doesn't have a thermostat, as the rads all have individual dials, so not sure what my home is heated to, but there is one on the boiler. And we wear jumpers and use blankets in the evenings always anyway... Two of the rads are permanently off anyway, as not needed, and some are on low all the time. Everything is off overnight, just on for an hour in the morning to get to work, and couple of hours in the evenings, only exception is when it rains a lot, as we get wet working outside and do usually need a top up to get warm again. Didn't know leaving things on standby was a thing anyway.

With regards fridge/freezer - the freezer is better off full, but if the fridge is full it won't have enough airflow to keep it cool efficiently, so somewhere between full and empty is your friend.

Oh maybe get some curtains for my living room. That's probably a saving I might have to make.

 

[fisicx]

Mother in Law gets up, turns the telly on the goes to the kitchen to make breakfast. Whole house is heated (3 bedrooms) and it's just her. Even if she goes out for the day the telly and heating stay on.

 

[UKSBD]

Go old school and if you have any draughts under doors use a draught excluder like your gran had (bonus points if it looks like a dachshund made of corduroy with button eyes)

Does my cat get any bonus points?

 

[IanSuth]

Even during winter there are good drying days - think of outside drying before you think of the tumble dryer. And remember an airer of wet clothes in a room used energy from the air as the water evaporates and causes condensation.

I gave my tumble dryer to my brother about a decade ago and lived without for 6 or 7 years (until someone asked me to give one a lift to the tip and if got lost en route and ended up in my house)

I use it rarely despite there being 3 rugby players in the house who between them create muddy kit on tue, wed, thu, sat & sunday - we just have a big washing machine and plan loads around the weather

 

[fisicx]

Oh maybe get some curtains for my living room. That's probably a saving I might have to make.

Ours are about 6 inches thick and weigh a ton. Really keep the heat in. We did a bit of a test last winter and you could feel the difference in temperature when you closed them.

Even during winter there are good drying days - think of outside drying before you think of the tumble dryer.

Don't even own one. A windy day will dry everything in a couple of hours.

And you don't need clean clothes everyday. Nor do you need to shower everyday.

 

[MOIC]

Go old school and if you have any draughts under doors use a draught excluder

Do the same with windows, especially wooden frames that will start letting air in (if not maintained).

 

[IanSuth]

Don't even own one. A windy day will dry everything in a couple of hours.

And you don't need clean clothes everyday. Nor do you need to shower everyday.

We only ever had one originally as we used terry nappies (well the modern clip shut version) and only had 3 days supply of them so occasionally needed to tumble - but the youngest is now 16 so that was a long time ago. Can't remember the last time the dryer we had was used - probably last November or December at a guess.

Work form home and you can sit in the same stinky clothes for a week - just have a single white shirt for zoom calls

 

[UKSBD]

My wife put my lads shirts out on the line about an hour ago.

They are probably wetter now than when she put them out

 

[Financial-Modeller]

1. Extra insulation.

Many homeowners understood that 150mm of insulation in the loft would pay for itself eventually in energy savings. 150mm is the mandated minumum. With higher energy costs, the 400mm advised should pay for itself far more quickly.

2. Thermostatic Rediator Valves.

Most houses will have these, but an inexpensive upgrade if not will provide a more comfortable home with lower overall energy consumption.

3. Exercise.

Perhaps more relevant to older prople, but a sedentary day at home will make one feel colder, with the obvious solution being to increase ambient temperature by turning heating up. A little exercise like a 15-minute walk has obvious benefits, among which will be not needing extra heating.

4. Having options, and knowing what they cost.

I need to do the sums to see if it is less costly to use the gas boiler to heat my home, or to use a convector heater to heat the room I am in. Bought logs for the log burner earlier in the year, so will probably be using that more this winter.

5. Go on holiday.

Tongue-in-cheek perhaps, but the offset in energy savings could influence our behaviour to encourage more of us to seek winter sun. Save Energy; jump on a plane!

 

[DontAsk]

Oven (use top oven instead of bottom, if only small amount)

Not true, depending on the ovens.

Or bottom (fan) oven is cheaper to run than the top (non-fan) oven, even though it's larger. This seems to be generally true for this combination.

The fan oven also cooks better, no need to keep opening it and swap things around as the heat is distributed much more evenly.

 

[UKSBD]

Or bottom (fan) oven is cheaper to run than the top (non-fan) oven, even though it's larger. This seems to be generally true for this combination.

Our top oven is a oven/grill

If doing things which want browning off I'll do in that one, then brown off at same time

 

[IanSuth]

Our top oven is a oven/grill

If doing things which want browning off I'll do in that one, then brown off at same time

Both my top and bottom ovens in my NEFF have a grill and are fan

 

[Fagin2021]

If you have an open fire and are not using it - get the flue/chimney temporarily blocked or at least restricted - it is letting your heat out

Couple of old pillows in a bin liner then stuffed up the chimney works a treat,

 

[DontAsk]

Couple of old pillows in a bin liner then stuffed up the chimney works a treat,

You need a chimney cowl or some trickle ventilation, otherwise you could be in for problems.

 

[fisicx]

Couple of old pillows in a bin liner then stuffed up the chimney works a treat,

But remember to take them out on Christmas Eve.

 

[IanSuth]

But remember to take them out on Christmas Eve.

replace with a spiked iron rod

 

[DazRave]

So I'm a bit of a DIY smart home tinkerer and I've been thinking of ways to use my already existing setup to be more energy saving.

I have small PIR sensors (unlike those massive ugly ones that look bars of soap with a red light) in almost all rooms of the home. I use them not only for a DIY security system but also presence detection for automations.

I.e. no movement anywhere for over 30 minutes past midnight and the last motion was detected on the landing = set the house alarm.

I'm going to switch out a lot of dumb lights I have (most are LED already though) with switchable ones so lights only come on when it's dark (the PIR sensors have light sensors built in which is handy) and only come on when it thinks someone is actually using the room.

Other ideas are to track when energy is cheaper during the night and automatically start the washing machine and dishwasher.

Haven't figured out a way to track when the shower is on yet (humidity sensor perhaps) so that I can quickly flash the ceiling lights to let me know it's been running for longer than 5 minutes (I do love a good long hot shower sometimes!).

Granted, no easy options are above but inexpensive nevertheless.

 

[IanSuth]

Other ideas are to track when energy is cheaper during the night and automatically start the washing machine and dishwasher.


Granted, no easy options are above but inexpensive nevertheless.

If you have differential energy rates then just use the built in timer on the washing machine/dishwasher

Back in the 70's when we had white meter electric but appliances didnt have timers we had a 7day mechanical timer out of a lamppost and used that with a double socket on a piece of wood to control the washing machine.

Later i took it away to boarding school then uni to use as a timer plug attached to my stereo - always scared/worried/baffled electricians doing the safety inspections as it was built to be rugged and take the power of 2 large appliances so was a tad overengineered for a boom box