Achieving energy efficiency in the home doesn’t have to be a slog. We explore the myriad ways you can reduce your footprint and minimise your bills without shivering in the dark. From easy lifestyle tweaks to significant technological leaps, you’ll find an energy efficiency hack that works for you.
Why energy efficiency at home is more important than ever
In case the noise surrounding energy efficiency is somehow yet to reach you, let’s briefly fill you in. The top line is that the cost of using energy is only getting bigger – for our pockets, sure, and for the environment. The better our homes are at keeping in heat and regulating energy, the less hemorrhaging their impact is on your bank account and the great outdoors.
But, here’s the thing: many properties throughout the UK have been neglected and left to become inefficient. And, alongside that, as a society in general, we’ve picked up some pretty wasteful habits over the years. For both our homes themselves and our own behaviour, there’s a lot to be done and the great news is that there’s a revitalised interest in getting more efficient and plenty of brilliant ways we can do just that. We’ve separated out a spectrum from low-cost and easy to implement solutions to larger investment options so you can get involved whatever your budget.
Low-cost ways to make home living more energy efficient
We are in the midst of a cost of living hike so, while we may have the very best intentions for improving our energy, some higher cost or more time-consuming solutions may simply be out of reach. Thankfully, there are entirely free and super low-costs ways you can adapt your home living to achieve better energy efficiency. Here are just a few that we’ll be taking up:
Regular exercise
According to AXA, the health insurance experts, regular exercise can help boost your overall circulation which can in turn help you warm up quicker in the chillier months without having to flick on the heating. Not only can exercise help improve your mood and enrich your well-being, the advantages of better temperature regulation in the body can ultimately save you money on bills.
What’s more, there’s no need to fork out for a top tier gym membership with great community-led schemes like Parkrun who champion an ethos of ‘Free, For Everyone, Forever’. And if you’re satisfied embarking on your exercise career totally solo, try out a free home Yoga tutorial on Youtube, give the NHS’s motivating ‘Couch to 5K’ fitness app a go or commit to taking a walk for half of your lunch break.
Making this change to your everyday routine could seriously improve your health and, the better you feel, the less work you’ll need heating to do for you.
Turn off, turn down
I’m yet to meet two members of the same household who don’t think that the other is worse for leaving on lights when they leave the room. But, squabbling aside, it suggests we have a bit of a problem with keeping appliances on when we don’t need to. Really exercise mindfulness over what you’re using and why. Sometimes it really is too chilly to swerve flicking on the heating, and that’s okay. But consider whether you really need it in every room in the house – does the downstairs loo that you keep the brooms in really need a warm-through? Turn off radiators in rooms you’re not spending time in and turn down the temperature on your thermostat. And when it comes to lights, make it a habit to switch off as you leave a room – it’s one of the easiest ways to curb your energy use.
