How to Reduce Your Home’s Electricity Consumption and Bill

Reducing your household electricity use can be achieved through a mix of major home upgrades and small everyday habit changes. The main benefits of conserving energy are lowering your utility bills and helping protect the environment. Below are five practical ways you can save electricity and make your home more energy efficient.

Change Your Daily Behaviours

Conserving energy can be as easy as turning off appliances or lights when you are not using them. You can also reduce the usage of energy-intensive appliances by doing your household chores manually, such as washing dishes by hand and hang-drying your clothes instead of using the dryer.

The behaviour changes that have the greatest impact on utility savings are reducing the usage of your air conditioner in the summer and turning down the heat on the thermostat during winter. Heating and cooling expenses account for nearly 50 percent of the average home’s utility bills. Thus, reductions in the frequency and intensity of cooling and heating offer you the greatest savings.

Some tools can help you determine which appliances are consuming the most electricity and where most of the electricity is being used in your home daily. You can also request an energy audit from your electric utility company. This will help you determine your energy usage, how to save energy, and how to reduce your electricity demand charge.

Buy Energy-Efficient Appliances

If it’s time for you to replace the hoover, washing machine, or tumble dryer, it is best to consider energy ratings. Most modern electric appliances are more energy-efficient than their older counterparts. However, the energy rating will help you select the most efficient model.

Energy ratings are compulsory and they range from A to G, and A is the most efficient. But, the most important piece of information is the specific amount of electricity that the appliance uses per hour or per cycle. Some modern dishwashers and washing machines can clean a full load for less than one electricity unit.

Switch to LED Bulbs

Switching the older traditional bulbs for LED bulbs will significantly reduce your power demand. Installing LED bulbs for residential use can help you save up to 75 percent of the energy that traditional bulbs use. However, the best advantage of LED bulbs is that they last up to 25 times longer, which means spending less money to replace them in the long run.

Ensure Your Water Cylinder Is Properly Insulated

Heating water consumes more electricity than anything else in your home and accounts for up to 50 percent of your electricity costs annually. By ensuring you insulate your tank properly, you can reduce the water heating costs by up to 30 percent.

A high-quality lagging jacket that is 3-inch thick will pay for itself within a short time and save you lots of money.

Install a Smart or Programmable Thermostat

You can set a programmable Smart home thermostats to reduce or turn off heating and cooling when you are away or asleep. Installing a programmable thermostat helps you eliminate energy wastage from cooling and heating without upgrading your HVAC system.

A programmable thermostat will help you save up to £130 annually on average. There are different models of programmable thermostats that you can set to fit your weekly schedule. Extra features of programmable thermostats include indicators that can show you HVAC system problems or when to replace your air filters, and this also enhances the efficiency of your HVAC system.

No matter your kind of home, there are lots of ways to lower your monthly electricity bill. By simply changing your day-to-day behaviours, purchasing energy-efficient appliances, using LED bulbs, and using a programmable thermostat, you will save hundreds of pounds annually and drastically lower your carbon footprint as well.