Save money save the planet

Top ten tips for saving energy and money

1. When cooking choose the right pan size for the food and the cooker, cut food into smaller pieces and put lids on pans as the food will then cook a lot quicker.
2. Don't put curtains or heavy furniture in front of a radiator - they will block the heat.
3. Use rechargeable batteries rather than regular ones. As well as being more energy efficient they will also work out cheaper in the long run.
4. Don’t leave appliances on standby – they will still require up to half the energy they use when they are fully on.
5. Energy efficient light bulbs can save you money – although slightly more expensive initially, they will save you up to £100 over the life of the lightbulb. They last up to 12 times longer then regular light bulbs and so they will also reduce the amount of energy you need to spend replacing them!
6. Make sure you get leaky hot taps fixed. Over the course of a week, the water leaking from the tap would fill half a bath. Getting the leak fixed will prevent you spending money unnecessarily on heating unused hot water.
7. Turn your thermostat down – by turning it down just 1ºC you could cut your heating bills by up to 10 per cent.
8. Put reflective foil behind radiators to reflect heat back into the room. Standard tin foil works just as well – just make sure the shiny side is facing out into the room.
9. Install covers or nylon flaps over letterboxes or keyholes to cut down on cold draughts coming into the house.
10. Use the radiator or washing lines instead of a tumble dryer. Cheaper than a tumble dryer and uses existing energy.

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