All you need to save energy and money is right here. This booklet of ways to save energy can help you use, and pay for, no more than you need.

Transcription

1 All you need to save energy and money is right here. This booklet of ways to save energy can help you use, and pay for, no more than you need. CosyDevon is supported and endorsed by these organisations Working with

2 2 We know everyone uses energy differently, but we d all like to try and save money. That s why we ve put together this guide to using no more than you need. Inside, you ll find lots of hints and tips, including useful information on how much things cost to run, from ovens and irons to showers and gadgets, and loads of surprising facts. 3 Top 5 cosy energy and money saving tips Looking for Simple ways to reduce your energy use? Look no further. 4 From the fridge to the frying pan 1 All costs and savings figures in this booklet are subject to tariff price and are calculated based on the information below: All gas prices are based on 4.358p/kWh. All electricity prices are based on p/kWh. Correct as of 18 January Gas oven 1.52kWh per use. Electric oven A rated medium electric oven using 0.8kWh per use. Shower 35 litres used and boiler efficiency of 90%. Dishwasher using 1.05kWh per cycle. PlayStation 3 205W for 4 hours. Xbox W for 4 hours. Nintendo Wii 17W for 4 hours. Bath 73 litres used and boiler efficiency of 90%. Washing machine using 1.03kWh per cycle. Tumble dryer using 3.83kWh per cycle. Iron using 2.2kW for 30 minutes. 2 Source: energysavingtrust.org.uk correct as of December Contents 6 Washing and drying are everyday savers 8 Wasting water is wasting money 3 Research carried out amongst 10,000 UK adults by OnePoll in March Lights and the latest gadgets 11 Heating your home Here are our top 5 energy and money saving tips They won t cost you a penny, and could help reduce your energy use by up to a year. 1 Just turning the heating down a little could save a lot Having the heating on swallows up about two thirds of the energy you use. But by turning the thermostat down by just one degree, you could cut around 65 2 off your gas bill. 3 Lit up like Blackpool Illuminations We all know we should turn the lights off when we leave a room but it s easy to forget. Remembering to switch off just eight 50W halogen lights for one hour each day could save you up to 20 1 a year. 4 Take a load off 2 To bath or not to bath... Hot water is another big chunk of your bill. So if you want to save jump in the shower instead. It only uses half as much hot water and could save you up to 20 1 a year. Few things gobble up electricity like a tumble dryer. Cutting down on just one load a week, using the line or a clothes horse instead, could take up to 30 1 off your bill a year. 5 Don t leave things on standby Leaving things like games stations and microwaves on permanent standby means they re still sapping power and costing you money. Turning off gadgets when they re not in use can help you make sure you re not using more than you need. Here at CosyDevon we re on a mission to help you save money, energy and make your home toasty warm for years to come. Apply today to find out if you re eligible for free or discounted home insulation. If you are a Devon homeowner, landlord or tenant you could qualify for.* A new replacement A-rated gas boiler if yours is broken or over 8 years old FREE loft insulation FREE cavity wall insulation FREE or subsidised loft top ups. Funding towards external wall insulation *Offers are subject to eligibility, survey, availability and maybe withdrawn. To qualify for a replacement boiler you must be claiming either child tax credit, state pension credit or other income related benefits. A contribution may also be required. Proof of benefits will be required. To see what you could get give us a call on am - 5pm Monday to Friday Or visit us at cosydevon.com/apply 3

3 From the fridge to the frying pan Keeping the backs of your fridge and freezer clear means they can work more efficiently, reducing the amount of energy they use. Try not to overfill your fridge. If cold air hasn t got room to circulate, your fridge will have to work harder to keep food cool, using more electricity. When it comes to your freezer, try to keep it at least three quarters full the more that s in it, the less energy you ll waste. If possible, keep your fridge/freezer away from cookers, heaters and direct sunlight. If they get warm, they ll use more energy trying to keep cool. If your fridge doesn t have one, get yourself a thermometer. The best temperature for a fridge is between 0 and 5 C. It s worth defrosting your freezer regularly. If the frost gets any thicker than about 6mm, your freezer won t work as efficiently. Recipes and cooking instructions on the food you buy often say to preheat your oven. But most modern ones need very little time to get going especially fan ovens. The less time the oven s on, the less money you ll be spending. Cooking a roast dinner for the family using a gas oven costs around 7p a time, whilst an electric oven costs 12p. 1 Using saucepan lids helps to keep the heat in, so you ll be able to use a lower setting to keep things cooking. Choose the hob ring that best matches the size of your saucepan so you only use the energy you need to. You could use a steamer to cook a whole range of vegetables in one pan. You don t have to fill the kettle if you only want a bit of water, just boil what you need and the savings will soon add up. I put everything in the slow cooker before I go to work, so dinner s ready by the time the kids get home. I ve heard it saves a bit of energy too. 4 5

4 Washing and drying are everyday savers Today s washing powder and liquids are designed to wash clothes at temperatures as low as 15 C. By switching your washing machine to 15 C or 30 C, you ll save lots of energy, compared to washing at 40 C or 60 C. A tumble dryer is one of the most energy hungry appliances in your home and you ll soon see the difference in your energy usage if you use it less. In fact, cutting down on just one load of drying a week could take around 30 1 off your electricity bill. If you can t dry your washing on the line or use a clothes horse and you need to use your dryer, give your clothes a quick extra spin in the washing machine beforehand they ll dry much quicker. You could use a timer for your tumble dryer, to make sure it s not on for longer than necessary. And, if you re on Economy 7, you could set it to come on at night, when your electricity is cheaper. Descaling your washing machine every now and then will help it run more efficiently, which could save you energy and money. Both vinegar and lemon juice are great at removing limescale and freshening things up. Simply use a large cup of either liquid instead of detergent and run a normal washing cycle, without clothes. Remember if you re on Economy 7 it s best to run your washing machine at night, when you pay less for electricity. Some washing machines have a delay setting so you can programme them to come on when you want. You could even run other appliances like your dishwasher or tumble dryer at night, to help you save even more. And it s much better to use a clothes horse to dry your clothes. If you put them on the radiators, your boiler will have to work harder to keep things warm, using more energy and money. It costs around 15p 1 a load to run a dishwasher. I love saving a few pennies where I can. That s why I always run my dishwasher on the economy setting, it takes less energy apparently, which means I m not throwing money down the drain! It costs around 15p a load to use a washing machine, a whopping 55p a cycle for a tumble dryer and 16p for 30 minutes of ironing

5 Wasting water is wasting money People in the UK spend over a billion hours in the bath and almost two billion in the shower. Women win the battle for the bathroom, spending 39 hours in the shower and 25 hours in the bath every year year olds use the most water, both in the shower and the bath. 3 We all like to have a relaxing bath every now and again... add lots of bubbles to keep the heat in and you can enjoy a nice long soak without having to add more hot water. You may be able to save water by having a water meter fitted. Simply get in touch with your water company to find out more. Having a bath uses twice as much hot water as a shower a bath costs around 12p while a shower costs just 6p. 1 So switching to showers is a simple way to save lots of energy and water. Knocking two minutes off your shower could save you up to 40 1 a year. You could also fit a shower regulator to control the amount of water you use. Don t forget, using less hot water will help you save on energy as well as water. If you re going away when the weather s cold and you re worried about your pipes freezing, you can leave your heating on very low by turning the thermostat right down, rather than turning everything off. It s a good way to keep your home safe and sound without using more energy than you need to. If your hot water is heated by your central heating, fitting a cylinder thermostat will make sure it doesn t overheat and waste energy. The Energy Saving Trust recommends setting your cylinder thermostat to 60 C/140 F. If your hot water can be heated by either a boiler or an immersion heater, it s best to use your boiler, as immersion heaters are more expensive. Fitting your water cylinder with a jacket will help to keep the heat in and use less energy just make sure it s at least 75mm thick. 8 9

6 Lights and the latest gadgets The Energy Saving Trust estimates that lighting accounts for 8% 2 of a typical household s bills: cutting your lighting bill is one of the easiest ways to save energy. Why not use a 24-hour timer with your lamps so that you can set them to go on and off when you re not in. That way, you ll save a bit of energy while keeping your home safe and secure. If you re thinking of buying outside lights, it s well worth buying ones with sensors, so they re only on when you need them. Even better, why not get solar-powered ones they work all year round and won t cost you a penny in energy. If you ve got kids, remind them not to leave things like games consoles on pause for hours, while they go off and do other things. A PlayStation 3 costs around 12p for 4 hours, an Xbox p and a Nintendo Wii 1p. 1 Unplug things like mobile phones or cameras when they ve finished charging, so you don t have to pay more than you need to. People in the UK could be wasting millions every year by overcharging gadgets like mobile phones. Nearly one in ten of us say we re too lazy to unplug gadgets when fully charged and almost a quarter wrongly assume that constantly charging gadgets keeps them working properly. In fact, overcharging can reduce the lifespan of batteries as well as pushing up your electricity bill. 3 You can now get energy efficient LED spotlights that are bright enough to replace halogen bulbs, as well as regular energy saving bulbs for the rest of your home. Heating your home As you know, there s no point heating rooms you re not using, so why not fit thermostatic valves to your radiators, so you can turn the heat up and down in each room as you need to. If you re thinking of buying a new boiler, go for a gas condensing one they re super efficient and could save you as much as a year. It s a good idea to bleed your radiators once or twice during the winter to release trapped air it makes them much more efficient. If you need any help, we have a guide online at cosydevon.com/cosy-saving If you re not ready for a new boiler yet, it s still a good idea to give your existing one a yearly check-up. That way, you ll know it s working safely and efficiently. According to the Energy Saving Trust, turning your central heating down by just one degree could save you up to 65 per year off your heating bill. If you use your thermostat to control your heating, it will keep your home at the right temperature without using more energy than you need to. I get so warm running round getting the kids ready I turn the heating off 20 minutes before I go out. I ve heard it saves quite a bit of energy over time

7 How to get in touch We hope you ve found our tips useful and they ve given you lots of ideas on how you can start making changes today. CosyDevon is working hard to help you save energy and money so please get in touch to find out how we can help you. Call us on: 9am - 5pm Monday to Friday Follow us on: Or visit us at CosyDevon is supported and endorsed by these organisations Working with