Posted on May 23, 2022
The price of food, council tax, car fuel and energy is shooting up. Off all the price rises, YouGov reports that energy bills are having the greatest impact on our finances, so now is a suitable time to think about how we use energy as we face the 54% increase – and plan for a costly Winter 2022!
Rather than wait until then, now is the time to start making changes.
1. Turn off standby mode
When you leave electrical appliances on but unused, they enter ‘standby mode’. While the device looks like it is not using up any energy, it is using electricity in the background, referred to as ‘phantom power’. Although the device appears turned off, it is still using up to 5% of the power it consumes while it is powered on.
This mounts up when you consider just how many devices are left on standby. Up to 40% of gamers leave their consoles on standby, and 75% of people leave their TV in standby mode, so there are savings to be made!
Even prior to the increased fuel rates, the Energy Savings Trust estimated that £80 of our annual energy bill is made up of standby power!
Appliances like microwaves, washing machines, dishwashers, TV’s, computers, and games consoles all use power in standby. Turn these devices off at the wall and switch your computer to ‘sleep mode’ to save money.
2. Switch to energy efficient devices
3. Save energy washing your clothes
Household laundry contributes significantly to your energy bills. There are ways to reduce your costs:
4. Reduce costs of staying warm
Improving the insulation of your home is a weekend DIY or handyman job that could make Winter 2022/23 that little more comfortable, financially, and personally.
With many likely to only consider this closer to winter, and availability of tradesmen becoming limited due to demand at that time, this could be a sensible project to tackle this Spring.
5. Consider solar
A lot of new build homes now come with varying version of solar panels, paving the way for the future of energy. If your home does not have solar panels, spiralling energy costs may inspire you to future proof your home and consider solar panels.
On average, a single panel can produce up to three hundred watts of energy and depending on the size of solar panels you have, will cost around £5,000. Some of this can be offset by exporting solar energy back to the National Grid. If you can install solar, it could be a great investment for the future – sunlight will remain free while energy bills are going to continue to rise.
If you would also like to find ways to reduce your car, home, or any other insurance premium, we can advise you on that too. Just speak to one of our expert advisers at Watkin Davies Insurance Consultants Ltd by calling us today on 029 20 626 226.
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