Energy consumption is now at an all-time high due to home-schooling and working from home during the COVID pandemic, research has shown.
There are a number of ways to reduce our energy bills, and in this article, we are focusing on kitchen appliances and the benefits of making a few simple changes that could ultimately save you and your family money. The kitchen is a great place to start harnessing the power of energy reduction and by following our simple energy savings tips – could lead to lower energy costs throughout the year.
Cooking typically accounts for 13.8% of electricity demand in UK homes, with freezing or cooling food requiring a further 16.8% of electricity used on average. Did you know, on average, electricity and gas use creates about a quarter of all carbon emissions from our homes, with more than half of our fuel bills related to providing heating and hot water in a typical UK household.
Let’s start with the kettle; the majority of us need our daily dose of caffeine but do we really understand the cost involved each time we boil the kettle to make a brew? Surprisingly, there is a small trick to lowering those costs and boy following a few simple tips.
- Never overfill your kettle
- Keep the water level to a minimum
- Only boil the amount of water you need to use
By adopting these simple tips and using this cost-effective approach, you could save up to £6 a year!
The next appliance is the microwave; another device which is frequently used amongst the family. Try keeping a set time of usage, for example if you were to use your microwave for only 10 minutes each day, it could be costing you as little as £3 a year.
Slow cookers can also be used more efficiently and just by reducing the amount of time used per day – you could be saving more money off your electricity bills each year. If you were able to lower the time used up to 8 hours per day, you could be saving an additional £14 a year!
There are also other energy saving-techniques which have significantly higher cost saving advantages. A great proportion of the UK population own an electric hob and we all try our best to not surge usage due to over inflated energy costs. By reducing the overall use to 30 minutes per day, you could be saving a whopping £90 a year!
