Morning! A little warmer here in
Suffolk this morning and the sun even made a brief appearance. Strangely it feels almost like Spring is on
the way, but I am sure we are going to have our hopes dashed and temperatures
will drop and the thermostat will be turned up.
As we all worry more about rising energy costs it’s important to look at
ways we can save energy and be a little greener too. Today I am pleased to be working with
Britmums and British Gas on a campaign to help educate about energy
conservation.
In a drive to improve our energy
use and to aid energy reduction the UK government and others around the world have
plans for a Smart Meter to be installed in homes. By 2019 every household in the UK will have
to ensure that they have a Smart Meter installed. These Smart Meters will allow the government
to forecast daily energy usage more accurately and enable better planning and
efficiency in generating the nations power, which hopefully will mean producing
cleaner, greener electricity. To find out more about Smart Meters, visit the British
Gas website.
I know, 2019 is yonks away and
should we be doing anything to help reduce our energy bills now? Yes, of course we should. There are many ways we can reduce our
household energy consumption and live a greener life. I am quite strict about putting the heating on
and regularly make the children put on a jumper if they are cold. I also set the dial to 20 and rarely is it
turned up any higher. Although this
winter has been a lot milder and the heating has only been on first thing in
the morning for a couple of hours and in the evening. I am sure in colder weather we would have it
on a little longer. Aswell as layering
up to keep warm during the day, winter duvets are a great idea to reduce the
need to turn the heating on overnight.
Earlier this year my tumble dryer
finally gave up after seven years good service and very regular use. Instead of replacing it I decided to make the
use of the whirligig in the garden and the clothes horse in the hall! Already I
have seen a reduction in my electricity bill.
Maybe you are not quite ready to be as bold so instead look at how often
you use your tumble dryer. Perhaps you
could just use it to dry sheets, duvet covers and towels and the occasional load
of washing you need dried quickly? I
have washing out on the line today, in January.
Well I did say it was milder this winter.
It is also important to consider
the energy efficiency of other household appliances. I will need to replace my washing machine
very, very soon and whilst cost is the main factor in my choice of machine I
will also be choosing a product that is energy efficient. Maybe my money won’t stretch to a triple A
rated machine but I will get as close as I can.
With five children I have a lot of washing to do every day and am very conscious
of the amount of water I must use.
More and more councils are
providing different bins to ensure recycling is separated and that more of us
recycle. We have three bins where we
live and the only recycling we still have to take to a nearby recycling centre
is glass, otherwise it is all separated at home and put in the correct
bin. Putting out the recycling is meant
to be part of our childrens weekly chores, taking it in turn each day to do
this, which helps them earn their pocket money! However with darker evenings
after school this chore seems to have fallen with Drew. I guess the trick is to buy products with less
packaging to ensure less needs to be sorted and recycled.
I know there are many ways we can
live a greener life and I hope todays ideas have helped a little. Just remember it is not just about saving a
few pounds but helping to teach the next generation to make better energy
choices. So next time Lucy leaves the
light on I might just have to dock 2p off her pocket money or when any of my children
leave the television on and leave the room I will stop them playing to come
back to switch it off. Maybe that’s
being tough but surely the next time they will remember to switch things off
when they leave a room!
Do you have any top tips for
saving energy? I would love you to share them below.
Have a fab day
Zoe
x
I'm
participating in the British
Gas Smart Meter campaign. Smart meters work with an in-home display to show
how much energy you're using in pounds and pence. You can see how much you're
spending by leaving your phone charger plugged in all the time, or the heating
on at night. And when you can really see how much you're using, you can start
to make small changes to become more efficient. Smart Meters automatically send
British Gas readings so they represent the end of estimated bills! British Gas
is committed to install 1.5 million smart meters by the end of 2012.
