How we waste energy. Save by switching to LED Bulbs & Solar Panels

Simple Tips to Make Your Home Energy Efficient 

Solar PANELS – LED Bulbs – Thermostats

When you stop switching off the lights before you leave your home, it means that your energy efficient habits are easy to adopt. If you do not take care of these kind of habits your electricity bill will slowly go higher. Leaving your electrical appliances on when you are not using them it will add up to £40 to the annual bill.  If you do not replace old CFL lights and halogens with LEDs you will waste hundreds of dollars/pounds/euros across the rooms of your home. Consider to install Solar Panels. As the prices of photovoltaics and inverters have plunged in the last 5 years, switching is more affordable than ever before.

Top energy-wasting activities

We live a busy life and energy savings may not be our first priority.  Here we listed the top energy waste habits:

Operating the washing machine, dish washer and tumble dryer half full.

Always try to use the full capacity of your machine, it will run more efficiently. In addition, if you run two half loads it will cost you double , so the fuller the appliance the better. The manufacturers also offer an ECO cycle mode to help you save more (around 16% to 20%).

Forget to adjust the heating control

Use timers to control the heat, when you are out or at night. This simple device allows you to program your heating to be switched off when you do not need it.

Still use the old bulbs

The average cost of running a LED bulb is £1.70 per year which could save you £180-£200 from your energy bills from each bulb over the lifespan of the product. A normal 3 bedroom property is lit by approximately 30 bulbs, with simple mathematics in 10 years you will save around £5500.

Leaving electronic appliances on standby mode.

According to Energy Saving Trust this is going to cost you another £30 per year. Simply switch them off when you are not at home.

Heating your Guest & Utility Rooms

Providing heat to unused rooms will cost you a lot. You can set the temperature in rooms that you do not use to lower levels or you can use thermostats in each room.

Placing warm food in the fridge and freezer.

This is a very simple trick but we often forget to use it. Let the warm food cool down or if it is winter leave it outside until it takes the ambient temperature. The fridge will not have to work hard to keep the temperature low.

Also, avoid leaving the fridge door open for too long as all the cool air will escape, forcing the compressor of the fridge to work longer at full power.

Not getting the right info about your energy supplier and other choices you might have.

Spend a few minutes calling other energy suppliers, they will have new offers, special deals and fixed tariffs that will help you reduce your energy bill.

The Simplest Tips to Make your Home More Energy Efficient.

• Check for draughts under the doors and stop the heat from escaping. Around the chimney and windows you may find more draughts. You may save around £50 per year.

• Turn the central heating down by 1-2 °C to save approximately £90 per year. Every little helps ! We advise you to set the thermostat temperature to 18°C. Check the ambient temperature in your room until you feel comfortable and adjust the final temperature on the thermostat.

• Send accurate, real readings of your energy meter to the energy supplier. Do not let them send you estimate bills as they are always higher than normal.

• If your clothes are not so soiled wash them at 30 °C. Compared to higher tempetatures (40°C-50°C) this could save another £10 per year.

• When you buy new appliances (dishwashers, washing machines, microwaves, etc) choose the ones that are A+ Rated.

Consider a smart-thermostat.

Smart thermostats will turn on and off your heating remotely using the internet. Your mobile phone will communicate with the thermostat using the WI-FI connection.  The prices of a smart thermostat varies from £100-£200. Some energy suppliers offer the devices free of charge as part of the electricity deals.

The smart-thermostat will show you how much energy you are using (gas or electric). The smartest devices will learn your energy habits and auto-adjust the temperature to the optimum level. You can set routine operating times or simply switch your heat on and off via your mobile application.

See our comprehensive guide to smart thermostats to decide whether they’re the best choice for you.

VOLTACON solar experts will provide free advice on how to generate and store your own green electricity from photovoltaics. Our premium quality solar panels are available in our UK based warehouse.

Visit our website for more info and offers : www.voltaconsolar.com