It’s hard to tell if the increases in energy costs will hike up or not and with the winter fastly encroaching upon us here’s one of our members Elaine sharing their story on how they have actively changed their energy consumption and buying habits to help with the current crisis.
This news post is part of the series of Members Helping Members’ giving advice to help others survive the Cost of Living Crisis.
“I’ve mainly been focusing on how I can reduce my energy bill and I think this is going to be a difficult one for many families especially those that need it for medication such as charging mobility equipment or keeping oxygen tanks going so here’s my top tips:
- I do enjoy a hot drink so i’ve been making sure that I only boil the kettle with enough water for that drink to avoid the cost of re-boiling full kettles.
- I hear that it’s cheaper to run a full freezer than an empty one so when I’ve been cooking I will fill meals with vegetables as opposed to meat and freeze them. It’s handy to put a label on so you remember what it is.
- I only shower when I’m awake. Previously I would use the shower when I just woke up and stand there waiting for the water to spring my back to life after a long night sleep however I’ve been waiting (over a cup of tea) until I’m fully awake and if I that I need a shower then it will be a quick wash. I also tie my hair up now to avoid having to wash it on a regular basis!
- With autumn coming up it’s going to be harder to use less energy but one tip that we can take from our past is to rise when the sun rises and sleep when the sun sets. This may mean longer times in bed over the winter months and isn’t an option for people that work shifts or have to work longer hours.
- I tend to wash my clothes less and use less energy that way. If I’m going to do a dirty job such as cleaning up then I now have assigned some dirty clothes which I will put on to undertake that task and then once finished put my clean clothes back on. Previously I was just washing when they got dirty so I’ve now reduced how much I’m spending on having the washing machine spinning around.
- Unplugging devices such as phones, computers, tvs, etc has now become a nightly ritual and I don’t tend to leave anything charging overnight or on standby. This does mean though that I can’t use devices to tell the time and now have to rely on the battery-operated clock on the kitchen wall. I’ve also stopped keeping my computer plugged in for the day and only charge it when it’s low.
- Looking at the chart of energy below it does look like gas is expected to take the hit so unfortunately with a gas hob I’ll be turning to use the microwave more to heat up any tins or boil any vegetables.
- To avoid turning on lights, especially in rooms like a bathroom where you’re not in there very long then I’ve been using battery-operated sensor lights which are pretty cheap to buy and stop the need to turn on the light for a few seconds.
- I’ve stopped turning on the TV for background noise and if I feel that I need the company then I will put the radio on and when we watch the telly I will focus on watching it and not multi-task and other devices.
I will continue to monitor my gas and electricity usage and look for further ways to reduce the cost of my bills especially as we start heading into winter.”
If you have any further tips for reducing your energy bills then please share post in the comments box or email your money saving tips to info@wavecb.org.uk
