Summer is almost in full swing. Evenings will turn to more time spent out in the garden and at least a few arguments with the kids that, in their defence, they shouldn’t be going to bed when it’s still bright outside.
I love this time of year, but I hate the idea of quite literally throwing money away by being complacent or lazy with home heating and how energy consumption is handled. If you’ve read about 4 Simple Ways You Can Improve The Energy Efficiency In Your Home For 2021, you’ll probably have found yourself looking at your house in a whole new light; hopefully with some of those lights off to save energy.
Wouldn’t it be fantastic if someone were to come along and point out four more magical ways you can save energy (and money) this summer? Well, here are some simple ideas you’ll want to give a go.
1. Pay now, save later
What do you call a plumber in winter? Busy. What do you call a plumber in summer? Someone who is very likely going to be looking for jobs to do.
Summer is a magical time for getting those jobs you overlook carried out. I’m talking about the likes of getting radiators flushed and bled professionally, having insulation replaced or laid down, and getting your boiler serviced or repaired.
Best to do it now when things are quiet (have you ever heard of a burst pipe in summer?) and pay a better rate, rather than coming home one winter evening to a heating emergency and needing to pay a premium to get it fixed.
Is it strictly saving energy? Well, not immediately, but you will see costs come down over time!
2. Quick Valve Check
Here’s a radiator rule to live by: Bleed in winter. Tweak in summer.
As things heat up outside, radiators should be coming down inside. Go around and make sure your radiator valves are down to their minimum. If you have those simple plastic caps, get some TRV valves like these that let you know precisely how open the valve is. And while you’re at it, have a double check of what time you have the heating set to come on. While 6 pm makes sense in November, it won’t in July.
3. Window alarm
No, this isn’t a tip to go and get your windows alarmed (which honestly has nothing to do with energy saving). If you plan on having heating come in in the summer evenings just to keep the chill out of the air, have an alarm set on your phone for the same time as the heating.
Use it as your chance to go around the house and double-check no one opened a window during the day, as that is arguably going to be the biggest waste of energy imaginable.
4. Pretend it’s the olden days
This last tip requires some outside the box thinking. The average home has so many more appliances than it did 5, 10 and 50 years ago; appliances we are all truly a little too reliant on. The summer months are typically when we push them to the limit, so what about thinking like you’re back in the last century and not using these appliances unless really needed?
Examples of this would include hanging clothes up outside instead of being lazy and dumping them in the dryer. The same goes for the dishwasher (even I’ve been guilty of firing everything in after a barbecue), and one thing that is a giant pet peeve of mine; people having all the lights on inside when it is still bright outside.
Once you start asking yourself, “does this really need to be on? Did I used to have it on years ago? Should every Alexa around the house be on when we’re staying out in the garden” etc”., you start finding unique ways to lower energy.
Think like this, and you’re bound to bring consumption down. Now go and see where you could start seeing savings.