With fuel prices going up faster and faster we’re all eager to save some cash on our bills right? The more we can save the more cash we can keep in our pockets.
Well you know all of that going green stuff that you feel like you should be doing? Turns out that by doing your bit for the environment you can save money too. Here are a few tips for little changes and big ones that can save you money without costing the earth, so to speak!
Gradually Reduce The Temperature On The Thermostat
I’m going to bet that if you lowered the thermostat by just 1 degree you wouldn’t really notice the difference; in fact I dare you to try it! You will certainly notice the difference on your heating bill.
Another great idea is to consider moving your thermostat. It makes most sense to have the thermostat in the room that you use the most, turn the radiators up in that room and down in the rest of the house.
This will have the effect of keeping your most used rooms at just the right temperature, and the rest of the house slightly cooler.
Invest In A New High Efficiency Boiler
We all know that these sorts of appliances have various energy ratings now-a-days; but unless you have recently had one installed you probably don’t know the rating of your current one.
Apparently, some older boilers are as little as 55% efficient – that means that half the gas you use is wasted. Compare that to 90% efficiency for modern boilers and you can see the savings to be made.
Switch Off All Appliances – Properly
Do you leave appliances switched on at the wall? If you do you’re still using power even when you’re not using them. Get into the habit of switching off your TV, your microwave and anything else you’re not using, so you can save energy and money.
You know you should be doing this already, so I won’t labor the point, but if you’re not doing it, ask yourself why not?
Save Water With A Water Butt
Every time it rains you’re losing valuable water down the drain – quite literally – unless you have a water butt to store it in. Using a hose to water the garden is an expensive way to keep your plants looking good. Rainwater not only has minerals in it that help to grow your plants, it is also provided free of charge.
Swap Your Old Light Bulbs For Eco-Friendly Ones
Old bulbs don’t last as long as energy saving ones and they’ll use more power too. Start swapping your old bulbs for eco-friendly ones and you’ll notice the difference before too long.
The best reason to do this though is that these bulbs can literally last years, once you have them throughout the house you will soon forget about the hassles of changing light bulbs.
Solar Panels Of Course!
Come on, no post about green money saving would be complete without them. Now of course, if you want to be totally green these things are a no brainer. But if your main goal is money saving it is a tougher decision.
The great news is that the technology nowadays is just about at the point where solar panels make financial sense, depending on where you live of course.
It is worth having a look to see whether there are any local government bursaries available to help with the cost, but even if not you can price up the install and estimate the savings – you might be surprised by how soon these can pay for themselves.
Summary And Final Thoughts
The main thing to remember when creating new green habits for the home and garden is that you can save money with every single one of them. But put them all together and you’ll definitely notice the difference. You might find it easier than you think to go green and save plenty of money at the same time. It just takes a small mental adjustment to find all the eco-friendly ways to run your home and profit from it at the same time.
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