Save on Electric - 20 Money Saving Tips

Using these 20 money saving tips, you will be able to save on electric by up to 15% without changing your life style, all you need to do is think green. With just these few tips you will have a bit more cash left over at the end of each month to spend the way you want to not the way you have to.

Cooking

1. Always go for an oven with a self cleaning option, such ovens a higher grade of insulation, so as you cook you save on energy over an oven without this option.

2. Once you have something cooking in the oven, never open the door to check on progress, this will quickly reduce the temperature of the oven. Use the oven light and the glass panel, cook and save again

3. If you are cooking for one or two of you consider having a back up toaster oven, it will be faster more economic than a large conventional oven.

4. The most economic way to cook things like vegetables and reheat meals is to use a microwave oven, keep things at the edge of the rotating plate for max. efficiency and quicker cooking times

Refrigeration

5. Overcrowded fridges never work efficiently, make sure that you stack your shelves so that the air can flow around the food. This will allow you to up the temperature slightly and still preserve your food just as well.

6. Never put hot food into a fridge, this will raise the internal temperature and you energy cost rise cooling it down again. Leave food to cool before you put it in the fridge.

7. Make sure the seals on your fridge on freezer are regularly cleaned, if they get clogged with articles of food then they will not close properly and allow cold air out. It should go without saying that flattened or spilt seals need to be replaced.

8. Make sure that your fridge or freezer are sensibly placed well away from appliances that radiate heat, and heating vents or radiators

9. When buying a freezer keep in mind the needs of your family, do not be tempted to buy one that is bigger than you need, as the unused capacity costs you money to freeze down.

10. The other consideration when buying a freezer - upright or chest? Upright models look better and will blend in with your kitchen layout, just bear in mind that they leak your expensive cold air through the bottom of the door. So if you have space put a chest freezer out the back, not as cool looking, but a heck of a lot more energy efficient.

Washing the dishes

11. Modern dish washers are much more energy efficient a quiet than models of even a decade ago, so the purchase of that new dish washer you really wanted will probably pay for itself with savings you make on your electric bill.

12. Never run you dishwasher unless it is full, just wipe the leftovers from the dishes because if you rinse them off before you put them in, a) you might as well wash them and not put them in the dishwasher, b) you will waste your expensive hot water.

Laundry

13. When choosing a washing machine, choose a front loading model- they make cost a little more but they will save you up to 50% on your electric and up to 40% on water usage. When use in combination with the new cold water laundry detergents and set on 'cold wash' the cost per load drops like a rock.

14. Clean the filter on your dryer after every load and clean the outside filter (on the wall where to hot air comes out) at least once a month the improved air flow will reduce your drying times, your electric bill and will also cut down on the fire risk of having an outlet packed with combustible dry lint.

Lighting and heating

15. Modern energy efficient, they cost a little more than ordinary bulbs but they give more light and last much longer than conventional bulbs. If used throughout the house you electric bill will be reduced by as much as 7%.

16. Do not keep turning your lighting on and off this will reduce the life of the bulb by more than half, but do not leave them on when you go out of the room for any length of time.

17. Central heating and air conditioning carefully monitor the thermostat, excess heating or cooling will cost you a lot on electric bill. Gas fires with pilot lights, make sure that you turn it off in the summers months or if you are away from the house for more than a few days in the winter.

General maintenance

18. Insulation - Check all the joints in the house especially between the wall and door frames and windows this will allow leaks into the house, it is a simple matter of caulking the gaps and increasing your energy efficiency. Maintain the loft insulation, worn out loft insulation can add 15% to your heating and cooling costs, check for any energy efficiency tax rebates and or offers from your electricity company that may cover some of the cost.

19. A quality adhesive-backed weather seal should be placed around all external doors and opening windows so that they close tightly and prevent expensive drafts. The cushioned seals come on a rolls with an adhesive backing so are very simple to install and well worth the effort for the savings you will get on your electric bill

20. If you live in an area that is prone to extremes of temperature then enclose external doors with a small porch, this two door system will maintain a barrier space between the temperatures inside and out and save you money on your electric bill.

Once your house is energy efficient then why not consider creating your own green alternative energy system and increase your savings even more.

Energy Saving Light Bulbs - The Sensible Alternative

The lights in an average household use about 20% of the total electricity, so anything that will reduce that power consumption will help lower your energy bill while cutting down on pollution. Fortunately, it's easy to save energy on lighting by simply installing energy saving light bulbs.

Regular incandescent light bulbs produce light by heating a small filament inside the bulb. This heat production accounts for 90% of the energy they consumer. Energy saving light bulbs are florescent, much more efficient because they don't need heat to produce light.

How much energy do they save? On average, the energy savings are about 66%. But that is not the only way you save money using these bulbs. They also last much longer than regular bulbs, so although they cost more, you still save money when buying light bulbs.

Energy saving light bulbs last about 10 times longer than incandescent bulbs. Even if the florescent bulb costs considerable more than the traditional bulb, the lifespan of the bulb combined with the energy savings adds up to substantial savings.

It has been conservatively estimated that you can save about $4 per year for each energy saving light bulb that you install in your house. If you replace 20 bulbs, that's a savings of $80 a year.

Just imagine if every household in America took advantage of the savings that compact florescent bulbs provide. Not only would have more buying power, we would also cut down on the pollution caused by electricity generating plants.

Greenhouse emissions are one of the biggest concerns with burning fossil fuels to produce electricity. The average household produces more greenhouse gases than a car because of the amount of electricity consumed. Installing energy saving light bulbs is one way to cut down on those emissions.

Do your pocket book and the environment a favor by using florescent compact bulbs wherever you can. It's the only sensible thing to do.

Should We Use Energy Saving Light Bulbs?

Most light bulbs in use today are the old incandescent bulbs invented more than 100 years ago. They are cheap and available for a wide range of power ratings. Unfortunately, only a very small amount of this power is converted into light. This makes them very inefficient. Because there are used all around the world and each room has at least one of them there is a significant amount of produced electrical energy that is wasted. It is converted into heat which is not needed. Because energy is not cheap and its production contributes to the global warming many governments have decided to replace conventional incandescent light bulbs with more energy efficient replacements.

The most common choice is the compact fluorescent lamp (CFL). They are designed to fit into the same fixture used for incandescent bulbs. Such lamps also include a small electronic circuit which acts as an electronic ballast. Compact fluorescent lamps are 3 to 4 times more efficient comparing to incandescent bulbs with the same luminosity. Also the rated life of compact fluorescent lamp is 10 to 15 times longer than for the incandescent ones and is usually between 6000 and 15000 hours. Despite its higher prices they can save a lot of money during its life time. Another benefit of CFLs is the type of light they produce. It is much closer to natural white light. This is because they radiate a light spectrum which depends on the phosphor coating. Usually few different types of phosphor coatings are used to create a wider light spectrum close to sunlight.

But fluorescent lighting has also some drawbacks. Lamps contain small amounts of mercury. Mercury is a very toxic element and we should take extra care not to come in touch with it. This complicates disposal of broken fluorescent lamps which should be stored in special containers for dangerous materials. CFLs do reach full brightness immediately after they are switch on. Therefore, it is not advised to use them where lighting is needed only for short times. Another drawback is that compact fluorescent lamps can not be dimmed. For such purpose we should use special CFLs designed to be used with dimmers.

Because of high efficiency and many other advantages many countries have prepared plans to replace old and inefficient incandescent bulbs with energy efficient fluorescent lamps. Typical measures include bans on production or selling of incandescent lamps. Using energy efficient lighting can save a lot of energy. And saving energy also reduces emissions of CO2. In other words, fluorescent lighting can help to reduce global warming.

They Cost More So Why Buy Energy Saving Light Bulbs?

Energy saving light bulbs have been available now for a number of years, but, whilst more and more people are investing in them, there are still many who are concerned about the cost and dubious about their energy saving claims. But Compact Fluorescent Lamps (CFLs) can indeed save significant quantities of energy and don't actually need to break the bank, so here is some information to throw some light on the situation!

On the energy saving front, CFLs, or energy saving light bulbs, use much less energy than their standard counterparts, up to 80% less in fact. They work in a similar way to traditional fluorescent lights but require a much lower wattage to achieve the same level of brightness as 'normal' bulbs. Straight away this indicates that savings can be made, and as lighting accounts for about 10-15% of domestic electricity bills, these savings will not be inconsiderable. And modern CFLs don't suffer from the same issues of older varieties, which could take a short while to reach full illumination. On top of this energy saving light bulbs can also last up to 12 times longer than traditional bulbs, saving even more money.

The cost of energy saving light bulbs has often been a cause for concern. Prices have come down, however, and some varieties of CFLs are now available at less than £1 each from certain retailers. When this is then considered against the energy savings and the fact that the bulbs will need replacing much less often than standard bulbs, the savings far outweigh any extra costs.

Due to their longer lifespan, energy saving bulbs also have the advantage of reducing waste, as it is estimated that 80 million traditional fluorescent tubes alone are sent to landfill each year. Unfortunately there are few light bulb recycling schemes in the UK so waste reduction is critical.

Energy savings, which in turn mean a reduction in carbon emissions, cost savings and waste reduction add up to plenty of compelling reasons to choose energy saving light bulbs. These are now available in many varieties including dimmer bulbs so should meet the requirements of most if not all domestic lighting needs.

Top 10 Energy Saving Tips To Cut Your Fuel Bills

If you use both gas and electricity in your home, your annual fuel bills will have risen by around £400 since 2003. This translates to an increase of around 50% in electricity prices and a massive 90% in gas prices across the UK.

The good news is that you could cut the cost of these increases in half by being more energy efficient and switching to the cheapest energy supplier.

TOP 10 ENERGY SAVING TIPS

Apply these energy saving tips and you could save hundreds of pounds in lower energy bills every year.

1. Shop around for your energy...

If you have never switched your energy supplier you could save up to £270 by changing to a new company. You can compare all UK energy providers for free by using an online price comparison

site.

2. Pay by direct debit...

You don't have to switch your energy supplier to reduce your bills. If you don't currently pay by direct debit you could save around £150 a year and even more by using an online account.

3. Get free advice...

Your local Energy Efficiency Advice Centre can give you free, expert advice on saving energy and applying for any grants available in your area to help with the cost of energy improvements to your home. You can contact your local centre on 0800 512012.

4. Save money on heating...

Simply turning your thermostat down by 1°C could cut your heating bills by up to 10%. Heating water for bathing and washing is another area you can save money by setting the cylinder thermostat at 60°C/140°F.

5. Keep the heat in...

Draughty doors, windows and floors can be a major source of heat loss from your home. By using draught excluders on your keyholes, letter boxes and doors together with blocking gaps under skirting boards with newspaper, you can shave £5-£10 off your bills every year! If you have old or poorly fitting windows, double-glazing can cut heat loss through windows by 50% and reduce your heating bill by up to 100 a year. At night, closing your curtains and tucking them behind any under-window radiator will stop heat escaping through your windows.

6. Use the off button...

By switching unused appliances off such as televisions, videos and computers instead of leaving them on standby can save around £37 a year. Turn off lights when you leave an empty room and let in as much natural light as possible during the day.

7. Buy a jacket...

Fitting an insulating jacket for your hot water tank only costs a few pounds and pays for itself within months. A jacket that's at least 75mm thick could save around £20 a year.

8. Only use what you need...

By only filling your kettle with the water you need, it will boil quicker and save you money! But the opposite applies when using the washing machine, tumble dryer or dishwasher. Try to use a full load with these appliances and wash clothes on a low temperature programme as modern washing powders will be just as effective at lower temperatures.

9. Have a light bulb moment...

Saving energy can be as easy as changing a light bulb. By replacing standard bulbs with energy

efficient ones you can save up to £9 on your annual electricity bill. Priced from just a few pounds, energy efficient light bulbs last around 12 times and pay for themselves with lower bills.

10. Give your home an energy health check...

To understand which energy saving tips and improvements will be most effective for your home, use the Energy Saving Trust online home energy check. Visit est.org.uk.