With energy prices on the rise, there are ways for the average household to cut back on their energy bills when they need it most.

At the moment, the UK has committed to reducing the amount of energy we use by 60 per cent before 2050. This lofty goal is one that needs to see people across the UK chipping in – and as energy bills climb there’s more of an incentive to save energy.

One solution to high energy bills is choosing to install insulation in your home. Insulation helps keep heat in during the colder months, meaning you won’t have to use extra energy to warm your home. In addition, it helps keep rooms cool during the summer, meaning you won’t have to run your air conditioner or cooling system as often.

Experts say that insulation is vital for many households when it comes to saving money on energy bills during the credit crunch. Insulating your walls and in your loft will help prevent air from escaping, and will also help you save money along the way.

In addition to heating, bills are increasing because we use energy throughout our homes and lives. When it comes to saving money, you can easily reduce your energy bills by taking a close look at how you light your home. Using energy efficient light bulbs, as well as remembering to turn off your lights when you leave the room, are quick and easy ways to drastically reduce your energy costs.

Also be sure to close your curtains. This simple move helps save energy when you shut them in the evening, as they help keep the heat in your home. When you decide to buy new appliances, look for energy efficiency labels, and only run appliances like dishwashers and laundry machines with full loads.

When it comes time to leave the house, there are still measures you can take in the office and outside which can help reduce your energy consumption and bills. Leave the car at home – using less petrol to drive to work saves you money when you choose to take alternative transport like the bus or walking.

When you’re at work, remember to switch off your computer and to only print what you need. This saves you money in paper costs, ink and power spending.

With the cost of living set to rise during the recession, there are ways to reduce your costs. As you can see, there are simple ways to save energy that will allow you to save money – and the environment – through smart, easy choices.

By: Paul McIndoe

How To Save Energy – Save Money – Save the Planet

Tips on Energy Saving in the Family Home

What a frightening and confused world we’re living in!

Global Warming, Climate Change, Britney Spears, Rising Energy prices, Rising Food prices, Rising Transport prices, Paris Hilton and, just to put the icing on the cake, House prices dropping like a stone.

All these things are VERY scary!

Words never heard, five years ago, like ’Carbon Footprint’ now conjure up visions of dried up fields and cities under water.

What can be done? I mean, really, this is getting way beyond a joke!

Well, the idea of ‘saving electricity’ is one that’s looking pretty good at the moment.

“Going Green” certainly is not viewed with the derision it was, sadly, twenty, ten, or even five years ago.

“Going Green” and “Energy Saving” are now responsible business practices.

It is finally being seen as good business sense to save the environment.

However, as energy costs continue to rise, you may be among the millions of people, all over the world, who are looking for ways to save electricity around their personal living environment – the family home.

Here are a few bright ideas that can save you small amounts of money in themselves, but they will add up to significant savings when taken altogether.

If you’re only preparing meals for one or two people, use the smaller burners on your stovetop. They use less energy than the big burners, and generally won’t take any longer to prepare your meals.

If you want to save even more, get a hot and tasty winter meal started in your crockpot before you head off to work. That way, it will be ready to eat when you get home, and you will have saved a surprising amount of electricity in the process.

You don’t always have to save huge amounts of energy to see a drop in your electric bill.

The simple act of leaving your computer monitor on all the time can cost you nearly $18 a month (approximately 60 cents a day). It’s not too friendly to your monitor, either, as I found out about 12 months ago, when I had to buy a new one!

If you leave your cell phone and battery charger plugged in, you’ll pay $1.50 a month for the privilege. That might not seem like much, but small things like that represent a giant energy drain on the country when you think of the millions of people that do it.

More than $8 billion a year, according to the Alliance to Save Energy.

Insulate your water heater, or “geyser,” with a special insulating blanket. This can save you about 2KW hours a day, possibly more in cold climates. Also put insulation around your hot water pipes, to further reduce heat loss and lower your family’s energy usage. Another way to save money and be kind to the environment!

Setting your thermostat a little lower in the winter and a little higher in the summer can also save money, and not just pocket change, either, significant amounts of money are simply wasted, every day.

If you’ve going to be out of the house for any length of time during the day, Turn Your Thermostat Down.

Even a few degrees up or down will save more than $100 a year on heating and cooling costs, according to Alliance to Save Energy calculations.

President-elect Obama’s “New Energy for America” plan correctly cites energy efficiency as the “cheapest, cleanest, fastest energy source” and calls for new energy efficiency policies and substantial federal investment in energy efficiency to help reduce U.S. oil dependence, create new jobs, and curb climate change, the Alliance said.

All in all, it won’t take a huge effort or sacrifice to save yourself significant amounts of money on your electric bills every month.

Look at your lifestyle and the things you use around the house every day. Do they really need to be on all the time? Can you do the various things you do on a daily basis in a different way that will use less electricity? All it takes is a little commitment to begin paying attention to the many small energy-draining details that can make a noticeable difference in your overall energy usage.

Utility companies offer energy audits, tips, and other help for customers who want to reduce energy consumption.

Call your local utility or log onto their website to see what they have to offer.

Consider How to Save Electricity by increasing your energy efficiency when buying new appliances. Appliances are labeled with energy usage comparison tables. Look at these figures. Also, you may be able to buy an adapter to make your older appliances more energy efficient.

Turn off appliances that no one is using. Turning off TV’s, lamps, computers, VCR’s, ovens, and other appliances that no one is using can reduce electric energy consumption. Even turning them off for short periods can produce noticeable results.

The ‘stand by’ mode, on most appliances uses about 60% as much electricity as when the appliance is being used. This electricity is a total waste, but YOU ARE STILL PAYING FOR IT. Something you don’t even use!

Your home will need LESS electricity, the wasted energy will be conserved and re-disbursed through out your home. This will result in a LOWER ELECTRIC BILL!

Make sure the refrigerator door seals are tight. Test them by closing the door over a piece of paper or a dollar bill so it is half in and half out of the refrigerator. If you can pull the paper or bill out easily, the latch may need adjustment or the seal may need replacing.

If you have an electric oven turn it off 5 minutes before the food is done. The heat will stay in the oven and will continue to cook your food.

There, that wasn’t too hard, was it?

By: The Beachcomber

Rani asked:


Considering that gas prices are raising, how can we reduce our energy costs?

Make your own Solar Power. It’s Easy.

If you’ve been shocked by energy prices and you want to find out about how to generate home electricity then you simply must look over the information that follows – you will not be disappointed by what you learn. The general public relies on the electric company for their energy; but actually, a new wave in energy technology allows you to tap into an inexhaustible source of power with a simple and low-cost method.

“too good to be true,” you might be thinking, but let me assure you that even the average person can easily generate plenty of power for their personal needs and those of their family, and do away with those expensive monthly power bills once and for all! Take a look at this utopia – no more worrying about how you’re going to pay the monthly bill, simply free and environmentally-friendly power to provide all the electricity you need.

Just before you continue your research on how to generate home electricity; i want to make clear to you the exciting new reality that you can get on board with a system used by thousands of people across america and in other parts of the globe that lets you almost instantly reap the rewards of drastically lower (or even nonexistent!) electricity bills. I imagine you are now eager to find out how this new system works; it’s just a question of tapping into abundant energy sources – changing a naturally-occurring energy form into electricity for your home – quickly and easily, at home, and best of all, you can do it yourself! The most amazing part about this is that anyone can do it, even in the case you are not ‘handy’ and even if you know nothing about electricity.

So while you continue educating yourself about how to generate home electricity, here’s the scoop on another benefit – with this special way, you are making a difference in the future of the planet and as an added incentive, with tax credits and by selling extra power to your electric company, you can save money, and even make money! Imagine having a cool house in the summer and a warm one in the winter, with no concern about the price, using environmentally-friendly technology and making money in the process. Too good to be true? Do yourself a favor and just see how easy it all is; I’ll willing to bet you’ll want to get started on this right away.



By: Jason Gilford