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Vale of White Horse District Council
Abbey House, Abbey Close,
Abingdon, OX14 3JE
Email: comments@whitehorsedc.gov.uk
Telephone: 01235 520202

No cost ways to save energy

Heating

  • Turn down the room thermostat by 1°C. This can save up to 10% on your heating bills or around £30.       
  • Don't put curtains or furniture in front of a radiator - they will block the heat.    
  • Close the curtains at dusk to keep the heat in.     
  • Pull on a jumper or warmer layers rather than turning the heating up.    

Hot water

  • Turn your hot water tank thermostat down to 60°C rather than add lots of cold water to your bath.     
  • Don’t waste hot water, put the plug in the basin or sink.    
  • An ordinary shower uses only two fifths of the water needed for a bath. Power showers use as much as a bath, and sometimes even more.    

Cooking  

  • Match the size of the ring to the size of the saucepan or you will be paying to heat air.     
  • Put a lid on saucepans, so the contents heat quicker and you use less energy.     
  • Pressure cookers and steamers are more efficient and allow you to cook several different foods on one ring.     
  • Microwaves use less energy than ovens.    
  • Only fill the kettle with the water you need            

Appliances

  • Save up to £11 a year by switching off appliances such as televisions, videos, stereos, computers, and cordless phones by not leaving them on standby.    
  • Unplug equipment once fully charged – e.g. mobiles, shavers, batteries and electric toothbrushes – otherwise they keep drawing electricity.             

Refrigeration

  • Avoid leaving fridge doors open. Each minute the door is open takes three minutes of energy to cool down again.     
  • Avoid putting hot or warm food straight into the fridge; allow it to cool first.     
  • Defrost your fridge regularlyto keep it running efficiently and cheaply. If it seems to frost up quickly, check the door seal.     
  • Keep the freezer in a cool room or garage.    
  • Fill up spaces in the freezer with newspaper.        

Washing machine and dishwasher

  • Wash on the low-temperature programme.     
  • Try to have full loads when using the washing machine and dishwasher.            

Tumble dryers

  • In summer dry your clothes outsideand enjoy the fresh smell that only comes from line-dried clothes.     
  • Don't dry clothes on a radiator,which stops heat reaching the room, creates damp and provides good growing conditions for mould.     
  • If you have to use a tumble dryer, don’t put really wet clothes inside. Wring them out or spin-dry them first.             

  Lighting

  • Keep window ledges clear of clutter to get the most daylight in your home. Pull curtains back during the day and keep plants trimmed so they don’t block incoming light. Keep bulbs and shades clean.    
  • Turn off lights when not needed.    
  • If possible, use lower wattage bulbs.   
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