Energy saving tips - Reduce your Electricity and Gas costs Today!
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When Cooking Pasta: Bring the pasta to the boil, put a lid on the pan and switch off the heat. Come back after the normal cooking time and you will find it cooked!
Boiling the Kettle: Only boil the amount of water that you need, then after you have poured the required amount from the kettle, always tip the remainder into the sink. (a) You will see how much extra you have boiled, (b) you will help to reduce the amount of scale that develops on the kettle element!
Your fridge is on all the time: If you have a built in fridge, make sure that the rear heat exchanger is very well exposed to circulating air. With that done, have a look at the gaps between the fridge and the cupboard it is built into. If there is a gap, consider inserting additional insulation such as the white expanded polystyrene panels that most DIY stores stock in various thicknesses. be careful not to obstruct the rear heat exchanger!
The same can be done with a free standing fridge but obviously it is not so attractive. If you have a freezer in the garage, the same can be done with surprisingly effective electricity saving results! Also your freezer will stay frozen longer in the event of a power cut.
see : Keepin' the Cold In
Buying A TV: Don't buy a plasma TV! They use significantly more energy than any other TV, more than the old CRT. If you are replacing an existing TV and just want a larger screen and there's no urgency, hang on until the OLED (Organic Light Emitting Diode) sets are available Sony's OLED TVs , bbc article on OLED lights
In an office, fit timers on all the equipment that would be left on overnight but not used. A water cooler uses 80Watts to keep itself cool, it is left on al the time but only required for less than 1/2 that time. Potential savings of approximately 10Kw hrs (10 units) per week at 10p per unit thats about £52 per year!
A laser printer uses 40watts on standby so thats £26 per year potential saving. Then there are the kitchen water heaters, the photocopiers etc.
Recycled paper uses less than 1/2 the energy to make than new paper from trees.
Any thoughts? Please email me with the sort of ideas that don't appear in all the other energy saving tips lists.
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