Benjamin Franklin once said “a penny saved is really a penny earned” as well as help you save lots of pennies at home and garden, here are a number of smart tips – many of which require minimal effort on your side.
Around the Home:
- Switch off and unplug your appliances. Too many of people are doing leaving our appliances on standby when not in use, yet this is often a waste of their time and money. Switching our appliances off and unplugging them has got the potential to conserve to £30 per annum.
Along with switching off, it is advisable to make sure you don’t overcharge your appliances – something 49% individuals are liable for according to one energy provider.
- Keep your fridge and freezer at their optimum temperatures, so that the motors don’t need to work harder than necessary. The ideal temperature for the fridge is between 3°C and 5°C, whilst for the freezer the temperature needs to be -18°C.
- Turn it down. By turning the thermometer for the heating down by simply 1°C you have the possible ways to save roughly £85 – £90 annually on the utility bills, and you are clearly unlikely to remember the difference in temperature. Turning the stream temperature down with your boiler will also save you money all year long.
- li> Repair broken appliances. It’s all too easy nowadays when a product breaks, should it be a vacuum cleaner or hotpoint washing machine, to dump it and purchase a fresh one. But you could possibly be wasting money unnecessarily.
Instead, through the time to acquire the required spare part and fasten the appliance yourself, it will save you money and boost your DIY knowledge.
- 66% on the British population drink tea daily, but many people when brewing up are wasting money by filling the kettle on top of more water than is required. This unnecessarily requires your kettle to utilize more energy than required.
Re-boiling water in your kettle may also impact on the taste from the cuppa, and boost the build up of limescale minerals, which lessen the performance on the appliance. Limit the force you use every time you make a cup a joe by only using the river you require.
- Switch to LED bulbs. The initial cost could possibly be slightly more expensive, however the overall savings could be beneficial, along with it being suggested that by changing 10 light fittings with 60W bulbs, to 6W LED bulbs could save you close to £240 annually. As an added benefit, LED bulbs include an estimated life of 20,000 hours.
- It may sound obvious, but whenever you have your washer or dishwasher, be sure you do so when there is often a full load. This will work out less than running two half loads, as less energy has used.
- When doing your laundry, lower your expenses by washing while on an economy wash which uses less energy, and utilizing tumble dryer balls when drying. The latter allows you generate more space between clothes since they tumble ensuring hot air grows to where it should go and decreasing the drying time.
- Cook various vegetables simultaneously, as opposed to having them cook on different hob rings, work with a steamer or segmented pans. The latter permits you to cook various vegetables immediately on one ring – saving you energy and cash. Steaming the meat is also a healthier option because it keeps all of the nutrients in!
- Become smart to your water usage. Did you know, for instance, leaving your taps running is pretty literally water down the sink? It’s estimated that leaving the tap running even as we clean our teeth brings about 6 litres of water each and every minute being wasted. Meanwhile, 5500 litres of water is wasted on a yearly basis due to a dripping tap, which compatible £18 a year of wasted money.