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Five energy saving tips – that are actually costing you money

We are surrounded by information about how we can save money when it comes to bills. When it comes to energy saving, we often take it for granted that measures such as switching off our televisions and washing clothes at a lower temperature will slash our energy bills. But how often do we check to see how much these practices are actually saving us? Do you know how much each appliance in your home costs to run? Considering the current increased in energy tariffs, consumers need to be switched on when it comes to knowing about their energy consumption. Here’s five energy saving practices that can actually end up costing you money.

1. Leaving the lights and appliances on because you’re in and out of the room
Many people think that it’s best to leave lights and appliances on rather than to keep turning them off and on again. There used to be some truth in this – switching them constantly on and off could potentially damage an appliance. But these days this isn’t an issue. Switching lights and televisions on and off doesn’t cost anything in terms of energy, but leaving them on longer than you need to means that you’re using more electricity that you need to. And this means higher bills. So when you’re not in a room, turn the lights and appliances off.

2. Using a screensaver instead of sleep mode
Screensavers don’t mean the computer has gone into an energy saving mode, no matter what some people say. Originally designed to prevent burn-in, there are now a whole variety of screensavers out there. Some of them are dynamic animations that actually use more energy than using the computer for other purposes, but all involve a file running somewhere in the background. If you want to save on energy when you’re away from your desk for a while, then set up your computer and monitor, or laptop, to go into sleep mode after it is idle for a short time.

3. Using sleep mode instead of turning your computer off
While sleep mode is great if you’re away for short periods, it still uses energy so is best not used overnight or for other long periods when you’re not at your computer. Get into the habit of switching it off when you’re done. You don’t even need to remember to do it yourself – a range of software programmes and settings are available to help you out.

4. Setting the thermostat higher to heat up the house quicker and more cheaply
Putting the thermostat up to a temperature higher than you need doesn’t heat the house up any quicker. Once the boiler is turned on it’s already operating at its maximum level. If you set the thermostat to a higher temperature than you need, the boiler may just end up cranking away for longer or you’ll end up with the house being unnecessarily – and expensively – hot.

5. Keeping the thermostat at the same temperature instead of turning it up and down
Following on from the above practice of setting the thermostat higher than needed, it also seems to be a common misconception that keeping the thermostat at a constant temperature uses less energy than turning it up and down as required, heating the house back up from a lower temperature. This isn’t the case. Turn your thermostat down when you don’t need it, for example overnight, and this could save you significant amounts of money on your energy bills.