5 tips to make your home more energy-efficient
Improving your home’s energy-efficiency can shrink your bills and cut your carbon footprint
As millions of households across the UK face a spike in their energy bills, it’s undeniable that this will be a very challenging winter for many. The current UK’s energy crisis shows why we must continue the low carbon transition and reduce our reliance on fossil fuels.
However, it also underlines the need to make our homes more energy-efficient, which can permanently cut bills by hundreds of pounds a year. With these five small changes at home, you can keep your home warmer while saving on your energy bills.
#1 Discover the goodness of microwaveable meals
From microwave poached eggs to blueberry muffins in a cup, the microwave can do much more than just reheat your leftovers.
While it cannot always replace the oven, the microwave will give you a great and energy-efficient alternative. It uses up to 50% less energy than a typical oven, so it’s one of the quickest and simplest ways to cut down on energy costs.
#2 Invest in energy-efficient kitchen appliances
Is it time to change your kettle? It’s no secret that energy-efficient home appliances go a long way in saving us money. If you’re a keen tea or coffee drinker, it might be worth investing in an eco kettle – one that keeps water warm for a few hours after it’s boiled, reducing the number of times you need to re-boil.
However, purchasing new, more energy-efficient kitchen appliances aren’t the only way to save money. You should also work on changing your habits – for instance, simply filling the kettle with only as much water as is needed for that one time could help you cut your annual energy bill by £7. Other useful tips to follow include turning the temperature down to 30 degrees when washing or drying clothes, not overloading your fridge and making sure food has cooled off before it goes in.
#3 Go green with a solar PV system and a smart solar battery
Take your efforts a step further by installing a solar panel and smart battery system in your home. Not only will you have the opportunity to save on your annual energy bills, but you will also reduce your carbon footprint and contribute to the world’s shift towards clean energy. Even better, Moixa’s smart system will allow you to keep a close eye on your energy usage in real-time, giving you complete control and insight into your energy consumption. This means you can put the sunshine to greater use, as well as change expensive habits (why not go all romantic in the evening and light up a candle instead of keeping the light on?) to lower your annual bills.
#4 Rug up
When it comes to cleaning, rugs are a pain. Yet, given that by adorning your house with rugs, you could save between 4-6% on energy bills, it makes it all worthwhile. Now that winter is coming, it’s the perfect time to rug up.
#5 Draught-proof your home
Draught-proofing is one of the easiest and cheapest techniques to save energy and money in winter. It simply means blocking unwanted gaps that let out warm air and let in cold. Inspect your windows, doors (keyholes, letterboxes, the doorframe), between floorboards and around pipework leading outside. Plugging unwanted gaps around the door and windows alone could save you around £20 a year.