Homeowners look forward to springtime, as it means they can switch off their central heating or at least turn the thermostat down, so they can save money on their energy bills.
However, with the Met Office predicting this April could remain wet and windy, they might need to find alternative ways of reducing their gas and electricity bills so they can stay warm and comfortable in their homes.
Turn the thermostat lower
Many people might not want to turn their heating off entirely, but they could set it on a timer so it only goes on at certain times of the day or lower the thermostat.
Turning it down by just one degree can save ten per cent on energy bills, so lowering it two or three degrees can have a big impact on bills. You might not even notice the difference, especially if you wear an extra layer of clothing.
If you discover a problem with the thermostat when trying to change the temperature, this is the time to call a warm air heating engineer to sort out the problem, so it can be resolved before the colder months return.
Make appliances more energy efficient
Most of us know the benefits of using energy-efficient appliances, but did you know you could enable yours to use less electricity simply by cleaning them?
For instance, descaling the kettle means it is not using energy heating up the limescale as well as the water. Therefore, it can boil more quickly, requiring less electricity.
Defrosting the freezer is also worth it, as it needs to use more energy to keep the excess ice cold. Therefore,a freezer packed with ice is not running as efficiently as it could be.
A greasy oven also uses more energy than necessary, as energy is being wasted heating up the debris instead of cooking food. So, if you want to save money on bills, get your marigolds out and scrub the oven clean.
You could also clean behind the fridge to remove the dust on the coils. If they become clogged, the refrigerator becomes less efficient, requiring more energy for it to remain cool.
Use a dishwasher
It is easy to assume that a dishwasher uses more energy than washing in a sink, but in fact, the opposite is true. Ecotricity revealed that a full dishwasher requires a quarter of the hot water required for handwashing, so if you have one, make sure you use it!
Change use of appliances
The kitchen is where a huge amount of money is spent on energy bills, so it is worth making your use of appliances as efficient as possible.
For instance, instead of turning the extractor fan on everytime you cook, you could simply open a window, particularly as the weather begins to warm up. As an extractor fan costs up to £13 a year to use, these little changes could contribute to big savings in the long run.
You could also use the microwave to reheat food, instead of the oven or hob, as this requires less energy.
It is also more cost-effective to boil water in a kettle rather than in a pan, but only fill up as much as you need, as this will use less energy.
A lot of people have switched from washing their clothes at 40 C to 30 C now, which the Energy Saving Trust revealed saves around 40 per cent of the energy used every year. It is also worth putting clothes on the appliance’s highest spin cycle for the load, as this will mean the tumble dryer does not need to be put on for as long.
Of course, hanging washing up outside on the line will also save a lot of money, so this is dependent on the weather, which can be difficult in the middle of April Shower season.
Quick showers
As the weather warms up, you can start to save money when showering. For a start, you do not need to stay in for as long to warm yourself up, and you can also opt for cooler temperatures when washing yourself.
Having a quick shower could save a significant amount of money per year, but if you are able to wash at the gym, work or a swimming pool, it is worth taking advantage of this too.
If you’re brave enough, you could opt for a cold shower, which is said to have many benefits, as well as reducing energy bills, including improving metabolism, enhancing circulation, boosting immunity, and increasing endorphins.
Hopefully, springtime temperatures will rise soon, so freezing cold showers are more tolerable than during the winter months!