It’s important to all of us that we do our bit to help reduce our impact on the environment, but it’s an easy decision to make when it can also save you money!

There are many ways to reduce cost and become more energy efficient in the home.  Here are five simple steps you can follow to minimise your monthly bill at little or no cost to you!

Step 1 –  Unplug or switch off all phone chargers, battery chargers etc., when not in use. While plugged in they still use energy.

Step 2 – Use your washing machine and dishwasher only on “full load”, (it makes more sense to wait for a full load as half loads use the same energy) and try to reduce the temperature to 30 degrees.  Turn off appliances completely as they still use energy while the “standby” light is on.

Step 3 – Avoid using the tumble dryer excessively, instead use an outside clothes line whenever possible (a difficult thing to do sometimes with our Irish Summers!) or pull out the clothes horse!

Step 4 – Switch off lights when not in use or go a step further and switch to Energy saving bulbs which will greatly reduce your bill.  Energy Saving bulbs use 80% less energy than normal bulbs.

Step 5 – Try taking a shower instead of a bath, a shower uses only one fifth of the energy compared with a full bath.

These simple steps can both reduce your bills and your carbon footprint – everyone’s a winner!  If anyone would like to share their energy saving tips please leave a comment below…