I thought we would look at some money saving tips for property owners and renters.
Winter Fuel Saving
- Turn down your thermostat two to three degrees – this will save you up to 3%. Fix the temperature somewhere between 68 and 70 degrees for maximum benefit.
- Don’t turn off heating fully while you are away-this will take more energy to reheat your home when you get back.
- Lower the thermostat about 10 degrees while you are at work, returning it to normal once you get home or, invest in a programmable thermostat, which can be set to run at different temperatures at different times of the day. Costs about £40 to buy one.
- Buy a radiator bleed key ( about £1) and let any accumulated air out of your radiators, the air inside means fuel has to burn longer to get the room to the right temperature.
- Clean the coils in your fridge!- yes, fridges cost about 9% of total electric bill. clean the dust away to make it work efficiently.
- Insulate your copper pipes to keep your water hot for longer. Insulate your windows and doors with some draft excluder if you don’t have double glazing. You can also put up secondary clip on glazing, or the plastic film kind just for winter.
- If you have a room that you don’t use that often, turn off the heat to the radiator, no need to heat rooms you are not using.
- Change your shower head for a ‘low flow’ version. Shower heads can use up to 8 gallons of water per minute, and a low flow about 2-3 gallons. What this does is cut your gas bill because the water heater works less hard to keep water warm.
- Turn down the water heat control on the boiler, there is no need for it to be above 60 degrees, any higher is a waste because you will need to add more cold just so it’s cool enough not to burn you.
- Put up thicker curtains for winter to help keep out drafts and stop the window pane cold penetrating the room.
Have you got any tips you would like to share with our readers? Add your comments to the section below. You might also like our 20 tips to save money in your home this winter article.
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