5 Ways To Save Money, Energy & (Help) The Planet Now.

Winter is coming and you know what that means. Cold, dark frosty nights for weeks on end, with the heating and the lighting usage increasing by the day. To be honest, although I’m already dreading the gas and electric bill; I like winter (as long as I am indoors). For me, Winter is the perfect time to flick the heating on and snuggle up on the sofa in front of the television with a hot chocolate and a fluffy throw. Doesn’t that sounds blissful but, pricey. The good news is that there are many ways to save energy and money this winter. Here are some ideas and products (that I have purchased and used) that can help save energy and money.

A Silver Lining

Don’t be wasteful with all that heat that you are paying for. Central heating is a huge improvement from the days of the gas fire being only the living room, radiators are great and we are truly grateful for this domestic luxury. As glorious as central heating is there are still a couple of ways to improve the efficiency of this heating system.

Annoyingly heat escapes, we cannot and should not attempt to stop all forms of ventilation as some are needed for health and safety reasons however, you can do this one.

To benefit from the majority of the heat produced from the radiators add metallic sheeting or foil behind your radiators. It will enable the heat escaping from the back of the rads to be reflected back into the room/house. If on a budget like myself stick foil on to cardboard and place behind your radiator. You’ll need a ruler pencil and scissors to ensure a neat and tidy finish.

Smart Bulbs Are Smart Moves.

One of my best buys. the smart bulb is energy-saving, easy to install (must have WiFi). Using the app on your smartphone you can change colours as well as schedule times for the light to come on. I have the bulb in the hallway set to come on at 8 pm and go off at 6 am, that means no more feeling around in the dark for the switch. You can also connect it to Alexa and ask Alexa to turn lights on and off. The only downside is that smart bulbs are not available in all bulb sizes. Cheap and cheerful.

Alexa WiFi Smart Light Led Bulbs Bayonet by LUMIMAN, Size: B22

RGBW Dimmable Tunable 7.5w, Compatible with Alexa and Google Assistant, 60W, Remote Control by Smartphone iOS & Android, No Hub Required [Energy Class A+++]

LUMIMAN Alexa Smart WiFi Light Bulbs E27 Screw

RGBCW Colour 7.5w, Compatible with Alexa and Google Assistant, 60W Remote Control by Smart Phone iOS & Android, No Hub Required [Energy Class A++]

It’s Curtains For Winter

Thermal curtains over the front and back doors work wonders. They keep the cold out and the heat in and that’s all I needed to know before grabbing one along with a curtain rail track. At first, I was slightly apprehensive as the glass in y front door provides a lot of light to my otherwise dim hallway. I needn’t of worried because it actually made my hallway look more cosy which was a pleasant surprise. Before you purchase your curtains think measurement, practically and safety – Remember: this curtain will be used frequently and the door needs to be able to open completely with the curtain present. So double-check that the curtain reaches the floor otherwise slightly pointless, check that when the curtain(s) are open the door can open and when the curtain(s) are closed the post can go through the letterbox.

WOLTU Pencil Pleat Blackout Curtain Thermal Insulated Tape Top Curtain

Another point I need to make is the choice of the curtain rail, I ordered a rail track rather than a curtain pole because I wanted the curtain to be as flush to the door as possible as to reduce draught. The poles as gorgeous but they can leave a gap which kind of defeats the object.

Exclude Draughts with a Draught Excluder.

Yes, you can use many things to block a draught from coming through beneath a door but this one actually works whether you are entering and closing the door or exiting. I only purchased three of these but I will be reordering for the other six doors. Another pleasant surprise was that I have noticed a reduction of sound coming from the rooms which had the excluders attached.

It’s easy to install and I’ve definitely noticed a difference.