Five easy ways to avoid draining energy (and your bank account) this winter

After the hottest summer on record are you ready to hunker down and wrap-up? Neither are we...

Winter can be a difficult time for both our bank accounts and energy usage so save money and take action with these five tips!

1) We all enjoy the cold weather...to a certain degree!

Turning your thermostat down by even one degree can save you more than most people think, according to the Energy Saving Trust taking it down a notch can save the typical home up to £100! We’re also all guilty of turning the heating up even further when it’s colder outside but let’s not forget the job of the thermostat is to heat our homes to the temperature we set, so this might just take a bit longer when it’s colder.

2) Ditch the dryer 

Drying clothes in the British winter is a yearly challenge, but did you know that the not so humble tumble dryer is one of the most expensive appliances to run? At £1 a load remember to maximise the load and minimise use. 

Want to take it even further? Remove cold air and moisture with a dehumidifier and use your drying rack instead. 

3) Think about your screen time...

Don’t panic! We also love to spend a winter night in front of a film and wouldn’t want to get in the way of that! But just by switching our TV’s off at the wall we can save £55 a year – which makes the journey to the plug worth it.

We can also prevent useless energy draining by avoiding charging our phones overnight and instead getting them to fully charged and turning off at the plug.

4) Make some radiator rules

1. Try to avoid having furniture pushed against the radiator. This will prevent heat from flowing as easily through your room meaning your radiator will have to work harder to get to the right temperature.

2. Dust in between the radiator can prevent heat from escaping, which will mean your radiators have to work harder to warm your room. The good news is you probably only have to dust them once a year! 

3. Consider a radiator fan to make it easier to get toasty Radiator fans, or boosters, are a tool you can add-on to your radiators to prevent the heat from rising and escaping and keep it going in your direction. 

5) A moment in the oven...a week of food!

Batch-cooking your meals for the week ahead is the most energy efficient way to cook your meals. To save even more energy, defrost your meal in the fridge the night before to avoid using the microwave.