8 Ways to Save Energy at Christmas
It’s the most wonderful time of the year, but it doesn’t need to be the most expensive time of the year. In this blog I hope to give you some tips on how best to save some energy and money at this time of year.
Tip 1 – Switch to LED Christmas Lights
Over the years you may have collected a large amount of Christmas lights but if you fancy a change then you could donate them and replace them with LED lights. LED’s use 90% less electricity than normal Christmas lights. They can be a little more expensive, but at the same time they last longer making them a much better investment. Read more about the misconceptions surrounding LED.
Tip 2 – Christmas Gadgets
A possible Christmas present this year could be a laptop or tablet device. The amount of devices in peoples’ homes has grown very quickly and can run up your energy bill if left charging or on standby. According to the Energy Saving Trust tablets use 70% less power than laptops so a tablet could prove to be more of an energy saving gift this Christmas.
Tip 3 – Limit the light
It is very tempting to have your Christmas lights on whenever possible when you put them up, but it’s not a great idea. During the day your Christmas lights won’t have the same effect, so the best time of day to switch them on is at dusk and then turn them off before going to bed.
Tip 4 – Turn it off
It’s not just your laptop or tablet device that shouldn’t be left on standby, your TVs and game consoles should not be left on standby either. It’s also good to purchase energy star certificated devices. These can be found on TVs, DVD players and cordless phones and they use up to 60% less electricity than non-certified devices.
Make sure to switch your TV off when you’re not watching it. The Energy Saving Trust found that 53% of us in the UK admit to leaving the TV on as background noise, so try to avoid that as much as possible.
Tip 5 – Cook Smarter
When cooking your Christmas dinner or using up some of your Christmas leftovers on the hob, make sure you use the correct sized pan and ring for each job and also keep the lid on your pans for as long as you can to reduce heat loss and to reduce the amount of time your food takes to cook. Also consider using the microwave for smaller tasks to keep the oven free for larger items such as a turkey.
Also when using the oven over the Christmas period, it is good idea to keep the oven door shut as much as you can and make large batches of food whenever possible to improve your energy efficiency.
Other ways to save energy over the Christmas period is to defrost food overnight rather than microwaving it and making sure that warm foods cool down before putting them in the fridge.
Tip 6 – Use candles
Lighting candles could be a good alternative for saving energy this Christmas. Using candles uses no energy and can provide very nice mood lighting. If you are safety conscious then you can use battery operated candles as long as the batteries are rechargeable.
Tip 7 – Fibre optic decorations
Fibre optic trees and decorations use a single light bulb in the base to light the whole decoration which is very energy efficient. The trees can look sleek and stylish and fibre optic trees tend to cost less than alternative options.
Tip 8 – Turn your heating down
If you are having guests around this Christmas then there is a good chance the room will warm up with the body heat so you could save some energy and money by turning your heating slightly down when your guests arrive.
Hopefully you have found some of these tips useful and you’ll be able to save a bit more energy and money this Christmas. Merry Christmas from everyone at Greener Kirkcaldy!
References and further reading
|