Top Tips to Save Money whilst Saving the Planet

With the recent hike in energy prices, many families will find themselves struggling to make ends meet, stretching their budgets to breaking point. Though this can be a huge stress factor, there are some simple changes that you can implement in your household that will save you money, reduce energy usage, and benefit the planet by reducing your carbon footprint.

Cut down on the cost of a cuppa
With many people now doing hybrid working or working entirely from home, energy consumption for individual households may have increased through computer usage, lighting, heating and boiling the kettle. 

If you drink several hot drinks throughout the day, one simple way to reduce energy usage is to fill a thermos flask with boiling water and use this to make your hot beverages during the day, rather than flicking the kettle on every time you want a cuppa. This will save you money in the long run and also time in waiting for the kettle to boil!

Turn off appliances on standby
This may seem like an obvious thing, but simply switching appliances off at the mains rather than leaving on standby mode can help cut energy usage. Think lamps, TV, washing machines and plug strips.

Heat the room, not the house
Another area to consider for people who are working from home is to only heat the room you are working in, rather than the whole house. Some remote workers have sworn by a heated electric blanket whilst sitting at their desk, which costs far less to run than turning the heating on.

Reduce your thermostat by one degree
One degree may not sound like much, but turning the temperature down on your thermostat by this small amount will help reduce your energy consumption and cut down costs. The ideal temperature for the average household is between 18–21 degrees C.

Wash clothes on a cool setting
Many laundry detergents these days work effectively to clean clothes even when used on a cool wash setting. Unless clothes are heavily soiled or stained, try using a cooler setting of 20 or 30 degrees C to save unnecessary energy usage to heat the water.

Make the most of your microwave
You may think that a microwave uses lots of energy, however they can actually be more energy efficient, due to cooking things for shorter periods of time. For example, if you’re making baked potatoes for dinner, try doing the majority of the cooking in the microwave then transfer to the oven for the final 10 minutes to crisp up the skins if necessary. 

Heating the whole oven for long periods of time is less energy efficient and there is also wasted energy from the heat that the oven gives off when in use. Microwaves on the other hand only heat the food within and there is no energy wasted in heating the air around it.

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Get crafty at home
Family days out are lovely but can rack up huge costs. Try some fun home-based activities that require nothing more than some empty packaging and a few arts and crafts essentials (glue, paint, scissors etc.). ​

Let the kids’ imaginations run wild and get them to create models or artwork out of materials that are due to be recycled – cardboard tubes, yoghurt pots, containers and boxes have endless uses for arts and crafts upcycling! 

These are just a few ideas for saving energy and reducing costs within your home, but there are many more useful tips out there to help you find smart ways to be more energy efficient in your household and boost your bank balance. Do you have a great energy saving tip you’d like to share with us? We’d love to hear from you! Connect with us on  Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and LinkedIn.

Article by - Melissa Brannlund

Follow me on Twitter @MelBrannlund or email me at [email protected]

Look out for Melissa's latest articles on Anita Frost's author website, where she'll talk about topics including business and publishing, author news and events, and giving back to communities. You can find her in-depth monthly feature on the News & Media page of the Green Bean Collection website, discussing children's books and reading, early years education, living a greener lifestyle and all things Green Bean!