10 Ways to Save Energy This Winter

With energy prices such a concern we have put together a list of our top ten ways to save energy over the winter.

  1. Put on a sweater before raising the temperature. For every notch you raise your thermostat, your bill goes up 3%. Why not just put on the sweater and save yourself a few dollars?
  2. Close the vents in un-occupied rooms. By closing the vents to your spare bedrooms or unused rooms you can cut your heating bill by almost 20%
  3. Wash and dry your clothes at night. Believe it or not just like the telephone energy has peak hours as well. By washing and drying your clothes after 10pm or before 9am, you miss peak hours thus reducing your costs.
  4. Don’t light up the whole room. Most of us know to turn off the lights when we leave a room. However even while in a room, if a small reading lamp can be used, just light up your area instead of the whole room.
  5. Don’t leave your computer on when not in use. Even in "sleep mode", if your computer is turned on it is still wasting energy, and increasing your bill.
  6. Cover your pots and kettles when cooking. By covering your pots and kettles while cooking you dramatically decrease the amount of energy used to heat your food.
  7. Make use of your oven’s leftover heat. Your oven will keep its heat for about 15-20 minutes after it is turned off. Use this heat to keep things such as second courses, desserts, or anything else that may need to be kept warm.
  8. Use your dishwasher/washing machine only for full loads. Save energy by making sure you wash only full loads in your dishwasher/washing machine. This reduces the number of times you will have to run the machine.
  9. Keep the damper closed on your fireplace when not in use. If you keep the damper open, all the heat you are paying for is going right out the chimney. Remember if you have the damper open, that’s like having a window open in the middle of winter. A waste of money.
  10. Use smaller appliances whenever available. If possible use your microwave or toaster oven instead of the real thing. These appliances use up to 75% less energy than your normal oven would.