Propertynews.com have teamed up with Electric Ireland to highlight the different energy wasting items in your home and how to save on your utility bills.
There are several items in your home that are quietly draining electricity and running up costs that could be avoided. By making simple changes to energy consumption throughout your home, you may be able to reduce your energy bills and live smarter.
Find below our list of items that you might be surprised to find are wasting energy in your home.
How to save energy at home
- Do not leave any item on standby
You may be surprised to learn that appliances use energy even when they are turned off, but plugged in. You can reduce this energy wastage by physically unplugging any unused devices from the power socket.
The Energy Saving Trust estimates that an average household could spend up to £80 per year powering appliances in standby mode.
- Turn off the lights
You may not be surprised to learn that lights in your home can be one of the biggest energy wasters. However, it may come as surprise that they can account for as much as 15% of your electricity bill each year.
If you sleep with hall lights or lamps on at night, consider turning these off before going to bed. Alternatively, apply a timer so you only have lights on for the time they are required.
- Check the model of your tumble dryer
If your tumble dryer is an older model with an energy rating of B or C, it could be costing you more than running an A rating appliance over its lifetime.
New technological developments have seen running costs of the best performing dryers fall into line with dishwashers, and even washing machines.
- Use energy-saving bulbs in vanity mirrors
In recent years, there has been a growing popularity around having lit-up mirrors in bathrooms.
Some of these mirrors may have up to 10 bulbs, and therefore can soak up a lot of energy in your household.
Applying energy-saving bulbs could lower the cost of running these appliances.
- Only boil the water that you need
When boiling the kettle for a cuppa do you fill it full each time? A full kettle of water could cost 2.5p to boil.
This mightn’t sound like much, however, 10 boils of the kettle per day could amount to over £90 per year! Try to only boil as much water as you need.
Do any of these items come as a surprise to you? Find out how you can live smarter with Electric Ireland today. #SmarterLiving
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