New guide to improve household energy efficiency
Research from Bosch UK has revealed that most people in the UK want to become more energy efficient but more than two thirds (68%) believe there is a lack of education.
As energy bills continue to rise, understanding how to minimise energy costs becomes more important. Figures from the Energy Saving Trust highlight this, as they show that British households could save more than £325 in energy bills per year in the form of gas, electricity and petrol. This leads to potential savings of £8.6bn across the country.
To help people save energy, Bosch UK has created a guide featuring a range of tips and advice to improve efficiency. The guide looks at five key areas to consider when tackling energy waste and to help people make cost savings; Heating, Hot Water, Electricals, Around the home, and In the car.
The guide includes tips such as:
Use your degree. We often have our heating higher than we need; try turning the thermostat down by a degree. Still warm enough? Turn it down again. Every degree that you turn it down could save around £65 a year on your heating bill
Waste not, want not. Think about how much you need, e.g. kettles – don’t fill to the top - only fill up your kettle with the amount of water you need.
Max your load. Dishwashers – do fill up – make sure you have a full load, but also ensure you know how to stack correctly
Light the path to cheaper bills. Replacing traditional bulbs with energy-saving light bulbs could save more than £400 over the lifetime of the bulbs
Match them up. Use the burner that is the closest match to the pot size. Heat is lost and energy is wasted if the burner size is larger than the pot size
Change your driving style. A third of motorists admit they drive in an inefficient manner. Smooth driving means less fuel consumption, so avoid harsh braking and acceleration. Stick to speed limits – driving 85mph on the motorway uses a quarter more fuel than driving at 70mph.
Peter Fouquet, president of Bosch UK, said: “Our research shows that one of the major problems in the 21st century, energy consumption, clearly is an issue for consumers. Most importantly it also identifies that there may be existing solutions for Britain’s households to improve their energy efficiency and save money.”
“One of the simple ways to improve energy efficiency is to be aware of the household appliances that we are using and also the cars that we drive. By opting for a more energy efficient option, one can stand to make significant savings over the course of the year.”
Bosch UK commissioned the research as part of the company’s commitment to improving energy efficiency. Bosch invested 4.8 billion Euros in 2012 in R&D, more than 45 percent of this research is on technologies that protect the environment and conserve resources.
This Bosch guide to energy efficiency is available at bosch.co.uk/newsroom, and via Facebook.com/BoschUK and @BoschUK.
