Energy-Saving Mistakes you Don’t Know you’re Making

There’s a lot of advice out there about the best ways to save energy. With that in mind, not all of them are good. If you want to make sure that you are following the right energy advice, then here you will find out all of the things you can do to try and save money at home without having to worry about your bills.

Insulating the Rafters

One major mistake that a lot of people make is insulating the rafters. Insulating your attic is great, and it is an inexpensive job that will help to give you immediate benefits. Insulated between your rafters however is not required unless you have an attic space that is going to serve as a room as well. Attics are meant to be cold, and if you spend a lot of money insulating the rafters then you may find that you end up spending more money than you could be. If you want to do something about this then speak with your contractor and make sure that you are just insulating the loft and not the rafters as well.

Turn off the Heat in Rooms you Don’t Use

It’s important to have some heat, in some rooms. Even if you don’t use the room, you should ideally be trying to do this. If you don’t then you run the risk of dampness and condensation. Mold will become a major issue too. If you want to do something about this then don’t block up the air vents, and make sure that you always have good air quality. When you have made sure that this is the case, fit a thermostatic radiator valve. This is a cost-effective solution but it will give you the chance to control every radiator within your home, individually. The more control you have over your heating system, the more efficient it will be overall. When you use a TRV, you will soon find that you can have way more control over your radiators and that you can keep them functioning as they should without spending too much energy. You might want to look up electricity rates for your area too so you can make sure you’re getting the best rates overall.

Running Appliances at Night

Night-rate electricity tends to be cheaper than electricity during the day. The general advice would be for you to run your appliances, whether it is your dishwashers, washing machines or even dryers during the night when you go to bed. With that being said, you might want to avoid doing this. Dishwashers and dryers can cause fires if they are faulty so it can be dangerous for you to do this. If you want to do something here then make sure that you run them during the morning while you are awake so you can deal with the issue should it arise. Night rate or off-peak electricity is available in some regions and you can usually take advantage of it if you time your mornings well. This means that you don’t have to leave things running when you just don’t need to, so keep that in mind.

Hand Wash 

A lot of people believe that if they hand wash items then this will save them more money than if they used the dishwasher. This is not the case though. You will use way more hot water when you hand wash over using the dishwasher, and this makes it way less energy efficient. If you want to do something about this then make sure that you bear in mind the rating of your appliance. The higher the rating is, the more energy-efficient it will be. If you have a very old dishwasher then you may want to replace it with a new model if you can. If you don’t then you may find that you end up spending more than you have to. Either way, it’s probably better to use the appliance over trying to do everything by hand.

Load up on Hot Drinks

Another critical mistake that so many people make is that they load up on hot drinks to try and stay warm. This is the last thing you want to do. Remember that your kettle is one of the most expensive things for you to run, and if you fill it to the brim just to make one cup of tea then this will impact you later down the line. You will be wasting huge amounts of energy too which is the last thing you need. One easy reminder would be for you to consider installing a hot water boiling tap. The great thing about doing this is that it will give you instant access to hot water and you may even find that it helps you to save a lot of space in your kitchen. It will even make your energy costs cheaper. If you want to get a tap then you should know that hot water taps use half the energy of a kettle. If you boil the kettle regularly then this is one thing that is well worth the investment. Electric showers are also very expensive to run. If you can replace the electric shower you have then make sure you do so. You can also limit the amount of time you spend in the shower which will cut down on things even more.

Radiator Insulation

A lot of people think that if you paint your radiators, this will help them to retain heat. This is not the case at all as the whole point in a radiator is that they let heat out. If you paint your radiator then this will make them work way less efficiently, not to mention that if they come with a manufacturer’s warranty then you will void it instantly. Covering the radiator in any way, shape or form is a bad idea. Radiator covers stop radiators from being able to work efficiently and this is because the air has to pass through the grille or the slot to let the heat out. The thermostat will struggle to read the temperature if this is covered, so you may find that your radiators end up coming on full power when they just don’t have to at all. This will result in you spending more money than you have to, which is something you do need to avoid. If you have radiator covers in your home then now is the time for you to remove them because if you don’t then you may find that you end up spending way more than you have to on energy and it’s just not worth it.

If you want to make your radiators more efficient or if you want to improve your heating in general then another thing you can do is move your boiler inside. A lot of people have their boiler outside in an outhouse as it saves them space in their home. If this sounds like you then there’s nothing wrong with this, but you do need to try and move it inside if you want to save money. You can also buy some pipe insulation if you want to keep the heat in. If you can do this then you will soon find that your boiler heats up your home easier and that this helps you to lower your energy bills. If you can keep that in mind then it will help you out a lot in the long run. You may also find that you can help the environment too.