How to power down

Water

Water bills are one of the highest costs in household bills which is why it’s essential to be cautious when doing day-to-day tasks that are silently running up your bill. Try these practical steps:

• Swap baths for showers –swapping a bath for a shower can greatly impact on household water usage. A shorter shower uses a third of the water it would use to fill a bath. So try to limit baths to just once or twice a week.

• Turn off running taps – leaving the taps to run while brushing your teeth or shaving can impact significantly on water usage. Turning off the tap while doing these routines will reduce the amount of wasted water.

• Do large wash cycles – by doing large loads of laundry instead of completing numerous half-cycle washes each week, you will save enormous amounts of wasted water and energy.

• Use a dishwasher instead of the sink – washing and rinsing small items in the sink may feel like you’re reducing amounts of water. But it instead wastes litres of water to be wasted ­ it’s more efficient to pop any dirty dishes into the dishwasher, wait till its fully loaded and allow a full cycle wash. Be careful not to overuse the machine by half-filling it as this is also wasteful.

• Consider a water meter – this may not suit every household, but it’s worth looking into. Money-saving expert and bill-reducing icon Martin Lewis suggests looking into it if you have ‘more bedrooms in your home than people or the same number’.
  

Gas

Homeowners may feel that there is nothing to be done about gas prices. But there are some steps you can take to reduce this burden:

• Install a smart thermostat ­ the technology inside this gadget allows it to interpret household patterns in usage and adjust the temperature based on when the home is occupied. This will reduce the time that heating and cooling systems are turned on, reducing the amount of gas.

• Insulate your home – if you struggle to stay warmer in the colder months, it might be worth investing in properly insulating your home. Loft insulation is a great place to start as heat rises, and in a house with no effective insulation, the main heat loss will be via its roof. Although this is a more costly upfront price, it will pay for itself in the long run.

• DIY heavy curtains – if you want to take a more hands-on approach, some heavy curtains can help to keep heat in during the colder months.

• Hang your washing out – it sounds obvious, but many homeowners are opting for the fast option when it comes to drying clothes and putting them in the dryer. Hanging up your washing in the garden, balcony, or on an inside airer will definitely result in savings.

Electricity

In a world where gadgets, TVs and other household appliances are used all day, there’s no doubt that electricity bills will tend to remain high. But by taking small steps, homeowners can significantly reduce these bills:

• Turn off standby appliances – You will reduce wasted electricity by turning off appliances that are not in active use or aren’t used at all. Purchasing plug sockets that can be turned on/off via your phone are great options if you spend a lot of time out of the house.

• Turn off lights – as easy as it is to leave lights on and forget to turn them off, try to consciously turn off the lights when leaving a room or when you could use natural light instead.

• Use stand-alone devices –laptops, tablets and phones, as opposed to desktop computers. This will reduce your daily power consumption. This can also increase work efficiency as these devices can be used anywhere at any time.

• Be more efficient when cooking – by using lids on boiling pans and the correct hob, and utilising the correct kitchenware when cooking, you are more likely to speed up the length of time that the appliance is in use.

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