Winter Savings and Keeping Warm
With the on set of winter and increased fuel prices we seek out ways of making savings in the coming winter months. We have all read the news reports and the energy companies are all telling us, that costs must rise in line with international fuel prices, so what should we do to keep warm over the winter months?
It is very easy to say "drop the thermostat down", but the last number of winters have been brisk to say the least, however one of the easiest ways to reduce your dependency on fuel is to reduce, not just the thermostat, but also the number of times we use the heating during the day. Modern living expects that houses should be heated to at least 20 degrees Celsius which is a warm summers day in Ireland. Are we willing to turn off the heating for a few hours during the day? What's more worrying is that with unemployment more of us are at home, which can mean having the heating on just to keep warm. Remember when your parents would tell you to "go up and put a jumper on if your cold", well its time to take their advice, do you honestly expect to go the whole year in a light shirt or blouse?
Keep active. We don't suggest you become obsessively neat but think about taking on hobbies that will allow you to keep warm. Yes, housework will keep you active but eventually you will run out of work to do, or it will become monotonous or aggravating.
Knitting! Why not learn to knit, if you have young children who are still at home this is a perfect hobby and skill to have, and at the end of it you'll have knitted a nice warm aran jumper (or 2) for the next big chill. Or how about taking up DIY. Learn how to fix things around the house, which will help to keep your trades people costs down, until you really need them.
Go to bed with the heating off, bring a hot water bottle to bed, get some nice flannel sheets and wear bed clothes. No more awaking up to nice cosy central heating prices, place a pair of slippers beside your bed, and a dressing gown under your pillow.
Stay away from your dishwasher, imagine many dishwashers run for up to an hour, in 15 minutes of washing your dishes you would have saved on electricity and kept active.
Keep the water you plan to boil at room temperature, freezing cold water into kettle will only cause it to waste even more electricity. Boil as much water as you need, if you are only making one cup of tea, boil just a little more then one cup of water, don't boil a whole kettle.
Open your curtains in the moring to allow what little sun rays we get in and close those curtains as soon as it gets dark to keep in the warmth in, if you're at work during the winter this will almost be impossible but if you're at home its a great opportunity to keep that warm solar air in the house. (Do this in every room of the house).
Keep the room your in at a nice temperature but turn off heating in other rooms. Turn off those lights until you need them.
TV and those recordings, if you record most of your TV shows late at night make sure to plug the power out from your STB (cable/satellite box or VCR) in the morning, keep that STB off when your not using it, it drains electricity. The same goes for those nice flat screen TVs plug them out to avoid waste, you don't need them plugged in when your recording stuff when you are out, the STB will do that not the TV.
Power down your computer or laptop don't leave them on standby. Protect their battery by letting it waste down fully from time to time, never charge a half full battery.