Where Have All The Pennies Gone?
Posted on November 11, 2011 by admin
You should be enjoying your golden years and living a carefree lifestyle, but that can be difficult to do if you find yourself still pinching pennies. One of the major expenses you have to account for after retirement is your home, but what happens when your fixed budget can’t compete with rising energy costs?
You don’t have to let increasing energy costs for your home interfere with your financial well-being. You may not be able to control the energy rates, but there are some easy and quick fixes that you can do around the house to help save energy. Keep reading to find out where you can save on energy in your home.
Poor Insulation
One of the primary ways that homeowners unknowingly waste energy is by allowing their money to sift through the cracks and spaces of their home. If you invest in climate control to keep your home at a comfortable temperature, you should also take time to maintain your home’s insulation to make sure that cooled or heated air stays put. Key areas to check for insulation include the attic, windows and doors. You can purchase insulation materials and weather-stripping for doors and windows at a home improvement retailer.
Compare Energy Prices
One of the best ways to make those pennies back that you have lost through rising energy bills is to compare energy prices and switch your provider. By doing this, many people save as much as £200 each year on their bills.
Appliances On Standby
You may not be aware of it, but appliances like desktop computers, stereos and televisions are sucking energy out of your home and money out of your budget even when you are not using them. These electronics are usually programmed to use what is called ‘standby power’ to help them boot up faster when you turn them on. However, if you can identify appliances that use standby power in your home, you can save money by connecting them to a power strip instead of directly plugging them into a wall circuit. Simply flick the switch on the power when you’re not using them to reduce your energy costs.
Old Household Appliances
Now that you know the energy-wasting secrets of new appliances, it is time to check your old ones. If you purchased your washer, dryer or refrigerator years and years ago, it may be one of the energy culprits stealing your pennies. Evolving technologies have made large household appliances like these more energy-efficient by using less power to run the motors and adding more insulation. Although it may cost a little money upfront to replace these items, you will notice a considerable difference in your energy bills over time if you do.
Incandescent Bulbs
We have all heard of the age-old energy saving rule: turn the lights off when you’re not using them. But what many people don’t realise is the kind of light bulb they use in their homes could also be wasting energy. Incandescent light bulbs are one of the first types of light invented, and these outdated tubes take much more power to work than more modern fluorescent or LED lights. Replacing incandescent bulbs is relatively easy since they are made in the same sizes and shapes as older bulbs, and it is well worth the energy savings.
Want to find out how you can save even more money on your home’s energy budget? Visit uSwitch to compare energy rates from different providers.
