Hello everyone!
January is over, and today we have top tips for you on how to save energy in February. Because it is such a big topic that you can do so much with, we will be exceeding our normal number of 5 tips to 10 or even 15 this month! With Covid going on all over the world, it is important more than ever before to protect the planet in every possible way. The smallest acts count, if everyone commits to them. Now, it seems like most people are up to changing small things in their lives, so we will be focusing on different ways you can save energy in your daily lives. These tips will be easy to apply and might even hold advantages for you. Have fun saving energy this February!
Introduction
Every day, millions of people wake up on this planet. Every day, thousands get up, turn on the lights and flick that switch on the coffee machine. Every day, thousands waste energy consciously. Every day thousands more energy unconsciously. You can do better. Many, many sources say that we waste an extraordinary amount of energy throughout a single year and that that is easy to change. By simply altering the smallest habits, a massive amount of energy can be saved, along with the amount of money you usually spend to pay for it. The good thing is that, out of the experience, I can tell you that changing energy-wasting habits like this, is surprisingly easy. You can probably ask anyone around you that has developed energy-efficient habits, and they will tell you the same. Here are the top ways we all waste a whole lot of energy every day:
Lights
When talking about energy consumption, lights are a topic often addressed. Many people might discard it, thinking that you can save energy more efficiently in other places. That is the wrong thing to do. There are at least two great ways to save energy with light:
1) Use energy-efficient light bulbs (LEDs). They save a lot of energy, save money over time and hold a lot longer than an average light bulb! You can literally look it up anywhere.
2)If that for some reason is not an option for you, simply turning off the lights when you leave a room is a very good habit, and very easy to adapt. I used to leave on the lights where ever I went, but now I don't even think about turning them off anymore. Often people leave their houses and apartments without turning all the lights off, wasting masses of energy when they are gone for the entire day for example! It's crazy!
Dishwasher, Washing machine and Tumble Dryer
1) Do not run the dishwasher, tumble dryer or washing machine half full! You waste energy running it, for heating the water, for running the extra water that you use to wash by hand and lots of detergents. Fill them to the brink of explosion and then run them!
2) When washing your clothes, it is often unnecessary to do so with really hot water. Instead, just wash with cold or rather room-temperature water
3) Instead of drying all your clothes in the tumble dryer, just hang them up on a washing line to dry. In summer (in most countries) you can also just hang them outside and they'll be dry in no time at all!
4) Only wash what needs washing. Honestly, who doesn't sometimes just throw something in the washing that isn't actually dirty? But try not to do so much! Wear your trousers two or three days in a row before washing them, or clean the tomato stain with a wet towel. But don't throw all your stuff in the washing every day. Now, please do not use this as an excuse to wear your underwear three or four times in a row :).
Heating
Please do not heat unused rooms
Do not continue to heat when you are away or asleep
Insulate your home, so you don't have to heat as much. For example, draught stoppers under the doors and an insulated roof are great ideas.
I can vouch for this. We moved into a single-glazed bungalow with very little insulation. We renovated it, adding a lot to the size of the house. But we insulated it and put new windows in. Despite the house being much bigger, we now pay much less for energy.
Avoid opening windows or doors when the heating is on, that is no use.
Dress weather appropriately, inside and outside, so you don't have to have the heating on full power all the time. Maybe a belly top isn't the right decision for mid-winter.
When you do turn on the heater, don't have it on full power all the time. You can turn it down once there is a base warmth.
Water
If you avoid wasting water of any kind, you always save energy. There are many places you can save water, just don't start in the wrong place, your drinking water for example. Don't save that. You need it.
Everyone knows taking a long, hot shower is the best thing in the world, that is absolutely understandable. It is fine to do so, but only from time to time. If you can make it short and cool, that'd be amazing, since almost every person wants to shower every day. Imagine how much energy that saves! Shower time also makes a huge difference. Limit each shower to a certain amount of time. There are so many timers you can get. In the UK, you can even get one for your household for free!
Now, I'm not going to make a list of occasions where you can save water, but you probably have lots of ideas yourself! We would love to hear what you can think of, if you want to, you are very welcome to leave them in the comments.
Devices
Unsurprisingly, the use of devices uses up a massive amount of energy. So please unplug your:
-Telephone
-Computer
-Powerbanks
-Drones
-Etc
Before leaving your house. They do use up lots of energy!
Entertainment
Movies, Video Games, VR, TV, Drones, Videos and Clips are wonderfully entertaining (and addicting) but also really energy-consuming ways of spending your time. here are some good ideas for things you could do instead:
-read a book
-Hang out with a friend
-Do some sport
-Play board games (Did you know that chess grandmasters burn up to 6000 calories a day?!)
-Go to a concert
-Visit a museum
-Learn an instrument
-Write books
-Start an initiative
Cooking
Here's a fun fact to start this with: I hate cooking. But I like baking. Here are some tips to make cooking and baking less energy-consuming!
-Cook with a lid on
-Turn the oven on when you need it, not hours before
-Turn the oven off when you're done, not hours after
-Keep your kitchen clean, means you find things quicker and the oven doesn't run while you're looking for that stupid spoon
-Carry your ingredients up the stairs, it's good for your muscles and you don't use elevator energy!
-browsing the fridge for something edible add up to a lot of wasted energy! It's like heating but always keeping a window open for fresh air. People actually do that, I don't know why. So, know what you have in the fridge. Maybe you can memorize it while carrying all of it upstairs!
Sharing
Here is the one word, along with the one sentence:
Share
Sharing always makes a difference, share your knowledge and you did good!
Your Green World Blog Teamš
Sources
https://www.which.co.uk/news/2017/12/seven-things-you-do-every-day-that-waste-energy/
https://www.ase.org/blog/10-biggest-energy-wasting-habits-home
https://www.energysage.com/energy-efficiency/101/ways-to-save-energy/
https://www.greenmatch.co.uk/blog/2020/03/how-to-save-energy-at-home
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