Top tips to avoid massive bills as you keep warm during winter chill
BRACE yourself for a winter of discontent, with an energy crisis that could lead to blackouts.
The price of electricity and gas has skyrocketed internationally due to supply and demand issues on the global wholesale market. Ireland has its own problems with two of the country’s biggest power-generating plants, at Whitegate in Cork Harbour and
Huntstown in north Co. Dublin, currently out of use.
But there are several ways for people to take action and make their homes more energyefficient without breaking the bank. Here are some ideas to help cut your home energy use and electricity bills:
SWITCHING PROVIDERS
When it comes to cutting costs, starting with your bills is the most direct approach. Websites such as Bonkers.ie and Switcher. ie help by looking at the different energy providers in your area and offering a selection of price plans for you to compare and choose between.
According to Daragh Cassidy from Bonkers.ie, switching could get you a discount of around 3040%, with potential savings of around €500 a year.
Mr Cassidy said: ‘Unfortunately everyone is going to be spending a little bit more on their energy this year, but by switching providers you can save more than you otherwise would have done.’ Some providers have increased their electricity prices by 45%, an increase that Mr Cassidy said he has ‘never seen before’.
THINK SMART
Smart thermostats could solve a number of problems at once and help reduce energy usage by up to 20%. They allow you to turn your energy system on and off remotely, avoiding wasting energy by heating an empty house and cutting your bills.
Some brands offer hot-water control and support for zoned heating while others even use presence-sensing to tell if someone is home and whether to put the heating on. Google’s smart thermostat, the Nest, can control your heating and hot water, becoming more efficient as it learns from your schedule.
Netatmo’s thermostat has an ‘auto adapt’ function which uses your home’s insulation and the outside temperature to choose when your heat turns on. Corkbased Smartzone has a system whereby you can combine controls for your heating and hot water with smart plugs to create a more energy-efficient home.
Smart thermostats are designed to be user-friendly, but to make full use of their apps you need access to a smartphone or tablet. They are not the cheapest option, but can offer a return on your investment if you are planning on using it for a few years.
SMALL ADJUSTMENTS
A shower typically uses 20% of the energy compared to a full bath, so keep the relaxing bath as a treat. Remember not to leave the hot tap running as that is money and energy pouring down the drain.
Every time you turn the heating up by one degree celsius, you increase your heating costs by around 8%, according to the Sustainable Energy Authority of Ireland (SEAI). Whereas if you manage to turn the temperature down by just 2C, you could save around €160 on a €1,000 bill.
Every 10-20 seconds the fridge door is left open, it takes 45 minutes for it to cool back down, using more energy. Energy experts recommend letting your food cool down before putting it in the fridge so it won’t use more energy to cool itself down.
SWITCHING OFF
The cheapest and quickest way to make sure your electric devices are not wasting power when not in use is to unplug them. Unplugging items such as your television and desktop computers can make sure they aren’t using any energy while on standby late at night.
However, it is not always practical, so smart plugs could be the way around this. Controlled via an app on your phone, they let you turn your appliances on and off remotely.
If you have accidentally left your TV on or kept your electric heater running, it is no problem as you can switch them off after leaving the house.
Some smart plugs can even monitor how much energy you use and tell you which settings cause your bills to go up, and which are more efficient. There are several options available, with prices starting at about €18.
LIGHT BULBS
If you’re prone to leaving the lights on when in a rush to leave the house, connected bulbs could be the way forward.
While the initial installation can be expensive, you make savings on the switch to low-wattage LEDs as well as being able to switch off any bulbs you have accidentally left on.
Replacing standard halogen light bulbs with LEDs can make a visible difference. LED bulbs use 80-90% less energy so replacing each standard bulb with an LED could save you around €6 per year, per bulb. A small saving but it adds up. It could be taken even further if you set up a smart home to turn off lights, thermostats and plugs automatically when you leave the house, saving energy and money.
APPLIANCE USE
The Energy Saving Trust says a 7kg washing machine used four times a week costs around €35 to run a year. Around 90% of this cost comes from heating water, according to the comparison service Uswitch.
Also, the tumble dryer uses around 2.5kWh per hour, which is a significant amount when you could dry your clothes outside or on a clothes horse in a warm area of the house.
DRAUGHT-PROOFING
If you live in an older building it is likely that it will be prone to draughts, which means you will pay more to heat your home.
The SEAI suggest closing interior doors between rooms.
Getting your doors and windows draught-proofed and blocking any cracks in skirting boards and flooring will likely cost a few hundred euro, but can save you significant amounts a year on energy bills, especially if you plan on staying in your home for a long time.