Be energy-smart!

September 2022

Be energy-smart

We all depend on energy to have comfortable homes, to go to work and in most of daily activities. A few months ago, saving energy was an important step to protect the environment. This winter, conserving energy and using it efficiently might become a necessity. What can we all do to reduce our energy use and our energy bill?

The good news is that we can all choose to use energy wisely!

Say ‘hello sweater’

  • Instead of turning the heating up, say hello to layers and blankets.
  • Draft-proof your house and fill cracks, use door and mailbox draft stopper and fix your insulation
  • Reduce the temperature in your house. 20° is the recommended temperature for your living areas and 15-18° in the bedrooms. For each degree you go down, you can save up to 10%!
  • Heat when you need it only. If you are away, turn your heating down. You can also use timers on your heating system.

Switch your gas and electricity supplier

Most energy suppliers offer discounted deals for new contracts.  After the usual 12 months contract, you will go back to a normal price. What to do then? You can contact your actual provider and renegotiate with them. Ask if they could extend your discounted deal or get a new one. If you are not happy with their offer, look around and switch to a discounted deal from another supplier. Would like to know more about this process? Read more: https://www.cru.ie/home/switching-supplier/

Be smart with your appliances

  • Oven: Heat your oven up to the right temperature and put the food in straight away. Switch off the oven 5 min earlier, it will keep cooking for 5 more mins. Use a slow cooker (it uses less energy than a light bulb!). Reheat in the microwave instead of the oven.
  • Washing Machine and Dryer: Dry outside if you can. Run them on low-temperature programmes. Use them with a full load but don’t overload them either. Run them at off-peak times, usually from 11 pm to 8 am.
  • Fridge and Freezer: Your fridge should be between 3-5 degrees and your freezer between -15 to -18 degrees. Defrost at least every 6 months. Leave the food to cool before putting it in the fridge.
  • Kettle: only boil the quantity you need.

Only time for one or two songs in the shower!

Prioritise shower over bath. A regular shower saves up to 20% energy of a full bath. Reduce the pressure of the power shower and shorten the length of your shower.

Switch off the energy vampires

What are we talking about? An energy vampire is anything with a clock, timer, glowing light, adaptor, memory or remote control in your house.

Laptop, TV, game console, speakers and so on consume energy even on standby or sleeping mode. Make sure to unplug or switch them off.  For more convenience, you can group them and use a power strip with on/off or a smart power strip.

Don’t leave your charger plugged in when you are not using it.

Switch off the lights

Turning the light off when we leave a room can save energy and it’s a very simple thing to do. You can also upgrade your lights to LED bulbs to reduce your consumption.

We may personally have little control over world events and the cost of energy, but we can choose to use energy wisely. We can all find ways to do that. True, conserving energy may require more effort and planning, but focus on the benefits. These are only a few suggestions. If you have any tips, share with us in the comments. And don’t forget to be energy-smart at home and at work!