Being wasteful with energy is bad for the environment and bad for your wallet. These simple tips will help you reduce your energy consumption at home and reduce your electricity bill without you even noticing.
1. Use LED light bulbs
CFL light bulbs use roughly a third less energy than old fashioned incandescent light bulbs, but to make the biggest savings switch to LEDs. LEDs cost a little more to buy (although prices are coming down) but they use 75% less energy and can last up to 25 times longer.
2. Don’t use standby mode
It is estimated that it costs up to £80 a year in electricity, to leave appliances in the home on ‘standby’ mode instead of switching them off completely. The appliances most likely to be left on ‘standby’ are televisions, set top boxes and mobile phones. Why not buy a surge protected, switchable multi socket extension to plug in all the appliances attached to the TV. You can then turn everything off with one switch. Even better, why not buy energy saving intelligent plugs? These can be programmed to turn certain devices off when you switch your TV off with your remote control.
3. Don’t overcharge appliances
Batteries in mobile phones and laptops continue to use electricity when they are plugged in, even when they are fully charged. It is also bad for batteries to be constantly charging without being able to completely discharge. Doing this will eventually reduce the overall charging capacity of the battery. A good idea is to switch between using the battery some days and plugging in other days.
Capital City Electrical are NICEIC approved Edinburgh electricians. They provide a full range of electrical services for both domestic and commercial clients including: rewiring, fuse board replacement, lighting design & installation, electrical testing for landlords as well as many other electrical services.
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