Saving the environment is enough of a pleasure to keep us switching lights off and putting less water in the kettle, but there is another great reason that many people seem to either miss or ignore: money. The onus is rightly put on saving the only rock we have to live on, but there is more money to be saved than many people realize – and that’s enough reason to get more people on the green eco-wagon, is it not?
More and more offices are taking steps to cut back on energy consumption these days, but saving the planet doesn’t stop there – you can save a bunch of cash on your gas prices and electricity prices at home, too. In fact, many of the same things you do in the office to save energy can be done at home to save you money at the same time.
The same old limited lights usage applies: turning all lights off when you leave a room can save you more than you might imagine over the course of a year. Only filling the kettle as much as you need to has the same effect.
Turning to the kitchen, there is plenty of money to be saved on all household appliances. Take the oven, for example. There may not be much room for movement on the temperatures at which you cook certain foods, but even just shaving five minutes off the time that you preheat it for will save you a few bucks. You most likely won’t notice the savings immediately, but for every bill you get, the more dollars you’ll keep in your back pocket.
Tumble dryers are notorious energy guzzlers, so the more you can dry your washing outdoors, the better. Weather will obviously dictate how often you can do this, but jump at it whenever you get the chance. With appliances like toasters, microwaves and televisions, it saves the cents when you switch them all off at the wall when you’re done using them.
Using electrical appliances less is beneficial not only to the environment and your wallet, but it also significantly reduces risk in and around your household. What’s more, the fewer risks you have in your home, the lower your home insurance quote will be, so you’ll save even more money.
Some people find it somewhat inconvenient to put all of these things into practice at home as well as at the office, but they really are good habits to get into. Six months down the line, you’ll really start to notice the difference!
Guest post submitted by Joseph Griffiths on behalf of Money SuperMarket.
I think these are some great tips. I use those energy saving light bulbs (still making sure all the lights in the house are not on 😉 They are a pricier, but they really do last way much longer than the old fashioned kind.
Suzanne
Radically reducing the use of chemicals in personal care and cleaning.