You can stop hunting high and low. All you need to save energy and money is right here.

Transcription

1 You can stop hunting high and low. All you need to save energy and money is right here. This booklet of ways to save energy and money can help you find ways to reduce your bills, a lot of them are right under your nose. Helping our customers. We re on it.

2 Looking for simple ways to reduce your energy bills? Look no further. Everyone uses energy differently, but we d all like cheaper electricity and gas bills. That s why we ve put together this guide to saving energy and money. 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. First things first are you on the right deal? Making sure you re getting a good deal is always top of our list and you can check you re on our best energy tariff for you at anytime. We do our best to make our tariffs clear and simple to understand and you can compare them online at eonenergy.com/bestdeal in the time it takes to make a cuppa. Or, you can call us on Plus, if you do move to one of our new tariffs, we re rewarding your loyalty. So, the longer you stay with us, the more you ll earn, up to a maximum of three years. Contents 5 Our top 5 energy and money saving tips 6 From the fridge to the frying pan 8 Washing and drying are everyday savers 11 Keeping the cold out and the heat in 12 ECO help is on hand to make your home more energy efficient 13 Heating your home 14 Wasting water is wasting money 16 Lights and the latest gadgets 19 An even smarter way to save energy 20 How to get in touch 2 3

3 What s top of our leader board for saving energy and money? Here are our top 5 energy and money saving tips They could save you around 125* off your energy bill and none of them will cost you a penny! 1 Turn the heating down a little and 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 over 40* off your gas bill. This is based on an Ofgem average consumption of 16,500kWh a year. 2 Get out of the bath and into the shower Hot water is another big chunk of your bill. So instead of soaking in the bath, have a refreshing shower instead. It only uses half as much hot water and could save you up to 20* a year. 3 Turn the lights off 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 four 50W halogen lights in your kitchen for one hour could save you over 35* a year. 4 Ditch the dryer Few things gobble up electricity like a tumble dryer. So it s well worth putting the washing on the line or using a clothes horse. Cutting down on just one load a week could take 30* 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 could save you even more. Did you know? A common energy wasting blunder is leaving the TV on or on standby, with nearly 6 out of 10 people guilty of this. # * All costs and savings figures in this booklet are calculated based on the information below: All gas prices are based on 4.38p/kWh. All electricity prices are based on 15.15p/kWh. Correct as of November 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. # Research carried out amongst 10,000 UK adults by OnePoll in March Source: energysavingtrust.org.uk correct as of November

4 From the fridge to the frying pan 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. Make sure the backs of your fridge and freezer are kept clear so they can work more efficiently, saving energy and money. Be careful 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, 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. Did you know? Cooking a roast dinner for the family using a gas oven costs around 7p a time, whilst an electric oven costs 11p.* Use saucepan lids to keep the heat in and 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. Use a steamer to cook a whole range of vegetables in one pan. Remember 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. Did you know? If you re thinking about buying a new cooker, you could save money in the long term by choosing a gas or induction hob. 6 7

5 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 and money, 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 bills if you use it less. In fact, cutting down on just one load of drying a week could take around 30* 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. 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! Did you know? It costs around 16p* a load to run a dishwasher. 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. 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. Did you know? Descaling your washing machine every now and then will help it run more efficiently, saving 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. Did you know? It costs around 16p a load to use a washing machine, a whopping 59p a cycle for a tumble dryer and 17p for 30 minutes of ironing.* 8 9

6 It s dirty, it s dark, it s draughty and it s full of spiders. Keeping the cold out and the heat in As scary as your loft might be, it s still one of the best ways to save energy and money. Did you know? Up to 33% of your home s heat could be lost through the walls and up to 26% through your roof. As you know heat rises, so it s well worth getting your loft insulated. You should have at least 270mm (about 11") of insulation in your loft. If your water tank is in the loft, it s a good idea to wrap insulation around it and the pipes. If it s less than 300mm off the floor, don t insulate underneath it though. By keeping it clear, warm air will be able to rise from the room below to make sure your tank doesn t freeze. You can spray the gap where pipes go into your home with insulation foam to stop draughts. But be careful not to block any air vents. Remember insulate the back of your loft hatch too and put draught excluders around it. If you ve got cavity walls, it s a good idea to get them filled. If you ve got solid walls, you could have internal or external solid wall insulation. It s well worth investing in double glazing, as it stops heat from escaping and pays for itself over time. If you need a cheaper option, you could fit internal secondary glazing instead. Even simple things like drawing the curtains stops heat escaping especially if they re lined. Remember using underlay underneath your carpets will stop heat escaping through the floor. You ll be surprised how much warmer your home gets if you seal draughts between floorboards, below skirting boards, behind your bath panel and around windows

7 ECO help is on hand to make your home more energy efficient Energy Company Obligation (ECO) is a national programme introduced by the Government to help UK homes save energy and money by fitting insulation or investing in a new boiler for example. The programme also aims to help people on low incomes keep their homes warm and save money. Our scheme will work towards making heating and hot water costs more affordable, by providing funding to fix or replace broken boilers for customers who need it most, help people living in rural communities to insulate their homes and make hard-to-heat homes more energy efficient through insulating measures. By saving energy, you ll lower your carbon emissions, which will not only help to protect the environment and tackle climate change but save you money. You can find out more about ECO and how we can help you on eonenergy.com/savingenergy 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. Did you know? According to the Energy Saving Trust, turning your central heating down by just one degree could save you 10%* off your heating bill. Heating your home Remember 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. 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 300 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 eonenergy.com/heatinghelp 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

8 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. # 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. 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. Remember 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 80mm thick. Did you know? Having a bath uses twice as much hot water as a shower a bath costs around 12p while a shower costs just 6p.* So switching to showers is a simple way to save lots of energy and water. Did you know? Knocking two minutes off your shower could save you around 20* a year

9 Lights and the latest gadgets The Energy Saving Trust estimates that if the average home replaced all their old-fashioned light bulbs with energy saving ones, it would save around 55* a year. 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. Remember to unplug things like mobile phones or cameras when they ve finished charging, so you don t have to pay more than you need to. 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 13p for 4 hours, an Xbox p and a Nintendo Wii 1p.* I ve fitted LED spotlights to freshen up my kitchen. They look great and apparently they use a lot less energy too. Just the thing when you ve got friends round for dinner. Did you know? 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. # Did you know? 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

10 Smart meters make it easy for my whole family to see how much energy we re using and give us an idea of what it s costing us. An even smarter way to save energy Smart meters can help you keep an eye on how much energy you re using and what it s likely to cost. That way you can spot where to make savings around your home and shrink your energy bills. What are they? You may have heard of them already, but in case you haven t, smart meters are a new type of electricity and gas meter. They use the same kind of technology as mobile phones and do a whole lot more than ordinary meters. All homes should have smart meters fitted by 2019, but they ve got so many great benefits we ve started fitting them for our customers now and they won t cost you a penny. To find out more, go to eonenergy.com/smartmeters How do they work? Smart meters come with a portable smart energy display, which shows you how much energy you re using and gives you an idea of what it s costing. You ll be able to keep an eye on the electricity and gas you use over a day, week, month or year and work out which appliances are costing you the most. You can set a budget too, to keep on top of things. Your smart meters will send us meter readings automatically too, so you won t need to read them yourself or get estimated bills anymore. You ll only get an estimated bill if there s a price change or you change products. Did you know? By 2019, every home in the UK should have a smart meter

11 How to get in touch We hope you ve found our tips useful and they ve given you lots of ideas for saving energy and money. Helping our customers is always top of our list and you re welcome to get in touch with us at anytime. Call us on: am to 8pm Monday to Friday, 8am to 6pm Saturday E.ON Energy Solutions Limited Registered Office: Westwood Way Westwood Business Park Coventry CV4 8LG Registered in England and Wales No eonenergy.com