Chances are, at some time in your life, you've made a New Year's resolution - and then broken it. This year, Sustainable Energy Ireland (SEI ) gives you seven really good reasons to resolve to make permanent changes in your energy use and therefore make big savings on your energy bill.
Resolution 1: Switch the heating system on later in the morning and off earlier in the evening and you can make significant cash savings. The best way to find the right balance for your house is to experiment a little, first of all try turning on the central heating 30 minutes before you get up and off one hour earlier in the evening. By doing this you can save up to €100 per year.
Resolution 2: Turn the heating in living areas down to 20°C – this could save you 10 per cent off your heating bill, which works out at approximately €100 per year for the average family. The temperature in hallways and bedrooms should be cooler – maybe 15 to 18°C. Use thermometer cards (available from SEI ) in a number of rooms, to prevent overheating and familiarise yourself with what different temperatures feel like.
Resolution 3: Don’t waste your hot water. Take the time to look at when you need your hot water and how much you actually use. Adjust the length of time you use your immersion heater/central heating to heat water, eg, one hour in the morning or two hours in the evening depending on your needs. Make sure your hot water cylinder has a lagging jacket to minimise heat loss and to keep the water hotter for longer. It may sound obvious but don’t leave the hot water running unnecessarily – this is just money down the drain. These small changes on how you use your water could save you a further €100 per year.
Resolution 4: If your oil or gas boiler hasn't been serviced recently, then you could be wasting money. In fact, by servicing your boiler, you could save up to €150 per year. Not only are you saving money by reducing your heating cost, you’re reducing your CO2 emissions - benefiting the environment, and improving your boiler's reliability and safety.
Resolution 5: Use your appliances sensibly. A full load in the washing machine is far more energy efficient than two half loads. Also, the cycle selected on the washing machine or dishwasher should have the lowest water temperature possible for the items being washed. By using your appliances more efficiently you could save up to €100 per year.
Resolution 6: If you’re buying new electrical equipment, appliances, or electronics in the January sales, try to choose the most energy efficient ones. Even small reductions in the amount of electricity consumed daily can add up to a significant saving over their lifetime. Appliances are labelled to indicate energy consumption and are rated from A to G with A being the most efficient. The label helps you to compare how efficient each appliance is. An A-rated appliance will use about half of the electricity of a similarly sized appliance with a D rating. The difference in cost of an A-rated appliance compared to a lower rated appliance may be a lot lower than you think (or even nothing at all ) and by using A-rated appliances you can save up to €100 per year.
Resolution 7: Make good use of daylight within your home. Hold off switching on lights in the evening until necessary and switch off lights when rooms are not in use. Replace failed light bulbs with compact fluorescent lamps (CFLs ). CFLs work really well in rooms in the house that don’t require instant bright light such as hallways, landings, and external lighting. Just by swapping five bulbs in your house you could save €25 per year.
