Cut the cost of your home bills with our energy saving tips

It's now even easier to save money on your household utility bills with very little effort or expense. Not only will you reduce the cost of home electricity but you'll also improve your green credentials and reduce your carbon footprint.  Here are the top energy saving tips from Zembl

Pay attention to the stars

When purchasing large electrical or gas items ensure you pay attention to the energy rating labels found on all air-conditioners, water heaters, room heaters, fridges, freezers and dishwashers,. These labels use a star system to grade efficiency, they also estimate how much power the appliance is likely to consume in a year. This should give you an idea of the running costs.

Watch the degrees

Choose an air-conditioning system suitable for the size of space you are trying to cool. Set the air conditioner to thermostat to 24 degrees or higher in summer and 21 degrees in winter. Every 1 degree increase in thermostat setting in winter will use 15% more energy. Every 1 degree decrease in summer will use 10% more energy.

Clean or replace heater and air-conditioner filters regularly, following manufacturer's instructions.

Become a fan of fans

Install ceiling fans as a very cost effective alternative to air-conditioners. Ceiling fans run at a fraction of the price (2 to 3 cents per hour) of air conditioners and can provide a welcome relief on a hot day.

Switch your light bulbs

Using energy efficient light bulbs can reduce the amount of energy used by up to 80%. Incandescent lighting uses 80% more power when compared to Compact Fluorescent light (CFL) bulbs which also last 8 times longer.

Review your fridge and freezer

When purchasing a fridge or freezer, ensure you buy one suitable for its purpose. Over filling or under filling a fridge / freezer leads to inefficiencies and greater energy consumption. Position freezers and fridges out of direct light and defrost regularly to avoid build-up of ice. Check the seals on doors and closing mechanisms are all in good condition.

Maintain gas appliances

Maintain your gas appliances to ensure there is no leakage. Not only is this very dangerous, it will contribute to your home gas bills. Make sure you turn off gas heaters when you are not home as heating empty rooms wastes energy. Only heat areas that are being used frequently. There's no point heating an area that's rarely used (storage rooms, cleaning rooms etc).

Insulate!

Insulate the ceiling and walls of your house. This will keep your house retain heat as well as keeping your house cool in the summer.