Driving
- It's not necessarily what you drive, it's how you drive it. Driving a 4x4, sports or large saloon car gently and smoothly and revving the nuts off a small hatchback will return similar mpg/km-litre figures, at least around town and occasionally on the open road, depending on the gearing of the vehicle
- Look and plan ahead. Town driving is about accelerating and braking; doing as little as possible of both - driving smoothly - will help fuel economy. This is probably the 'top tip', and is one of two main reasons large 4x4s use so much fuel - they are heavy, and require a lot of energy to get them moving
- Turn off the parasites. Using air conditioning when it isn't necessary will increase fuel consumption, often by up to 10%
- Aerodynamics. When driving at speed keeping a window open or an empty roof rack in place will increase fuel consumption. This is the other main reason large 4x4s use a lot of fuel - they have frontal areas comparable to the famous brick outhouse
- Don't tailgate other vehicles to improve economy. You greatly increase your risk of crashing if the vehicle in front behaves unexpectedly, and since - in any kind of crosswind - you are driving in 'dirty' air, it reduces your aerodynamic efficiency
- Remove excess weight. If you carry junk in the boot, don't. Having said that ditching the spare wheel, jack and so on doesn't make a great deal of difference, and sailors don't throw life-rafts overboard to make their boats faster
Domestic energy use
The
pie chart left (Boyle et al.; Energy Systems and Sustainability;
Oxford University Press 2003; ISBN 0 19 926179 2) shows average energy
consumption in an average home. These aren't total figures, but rather
proportions of a whole. The following sections break down into these
named proportions; cooking is excluded from this section since it is
assumed that only advances in technology can reduce this figure. Lights
and appliances include such things as TVs, computers, mobiles, games
consoles etc.; water heating and space heating are considered together
since one boiler and fuel source is often used for much of both.
Please do take a moment to look at the pie chart, since any savings that can be made are necessarily a proportion of the total, and are dependent both on the primary energy source used to provide the delivered energy to homes, and to the unit cost of that delivered energy.
Your home
In general, shopping around is something that may very well save you money on unit costs. If you own your home, it's easier to apply the tips below. If you rent, ask your landlord about these measures when you move in, and in any case find out if he or she will arrange some of them for you.
Saving energy - lights and appliances
- Buy energy saving bulbs - they pay for themselves in about six months on average, then you save cash for as long as they last
- Better still, contact your energy supplier and find out if they will give you free energy saving bulbs
- Switch everything off. If it isn't being used, flick the switch
- Air dry clothes instead of tumble drying. Hand wash dishes instead of putting them in the dishwasher. Easier said then done if you have a big family; try to get the kids involved
- Nappies. This one is interesting, since the energy cost of using disposable nappies has been measured as being roughly equal to the production and then continual cost of washing the terry-cloth type
- Some types of appliances, e.g. fridges, freezers, dishwashers, tumble dryers etc., have energy ratings printed on them. When the time comes to buy a new one, go for the most efficient you can afford; running costs will more than make up for differences in sticker price
Saving energy - space and water heating
- The chart above (MacKay, David; Without Hot Air; http://www.withouthotair.com/; Draft 2.6.2 – August 12, 2008; ISBN N/A) gives some idea of what different measures can save in terms of energy for a terraced home. These figures are roughly proportional for all houses and for top floor flats. Please do note that there's good news here - the least expensive option provides the biggest savings; over 20%. Also please note that while many people already have their lofts insulated, most don't have enough insulation. There may be grants available to help you do this
- Taking a shower uses less water than a bath. A small saving, though one which will make a difference over a year. Likewise only filling kettles with the water needed at the time.
- After making a cuppa, the heating element in your kettle will still be very hot. Fill your kettle with the amount of water you think you'll need next time, since water is a decent heat store. If you then decide to have another cuppa fairly quickly, that water will still be luke-warm from the previous occasion. An extremely small saving, but a free one
- Fit draft excluding strips to the bottoms of doors. Another small saving that costs very little
- When the time comes to replace a boiler, get a 'condensing' one. They are more efficient, and will pay for themselves fairly quickly. Find out if there are any grants available to help you do this
- Turning down the thermostat on your central heating, or using your heaters less - in effect just using less energy - is the easiest way to save money. If you feel cold, don't do it
- If you've done the big things like insulation, you're down to the miniscule ones like storing heat in your kettle, and you feel cold, please look at the next sections carefully.
Making the most of your bill and meter
Deasil Energy would have liked to have provided an image of a bill and explained each part of it. Unfortunately the level of small print on the back would have required an excessive page loading time. Of course each company also has a different layout for their bills. Another issue is the units which describe your energy use...
Here's the important bit. If the bill comes in, showing the units used, and these units have an 'E' after them, this means the company has estimated your bill, regardless of whether your meter has been read. This estimation may be based on your past use, on an average household, or may be a best guess. In any case, such an estimate may lead to you either overpaying or underpaying your bill. If this is of concern read the meter yourself and phone the company, who will update the bill. Also, if you have a prepayment (token; card) meter, and your company announces a price change, your meter needs to be reset, and your meter will be charging the old price until it is, but the company will be charging the new price from the time of the announcement - they will backdate the meter when it is reset, meaning that if prices go up you can get into debt. Contact your energy company.
Have you suddenly found yourself paying three times more for your gas? Either you have just moved a very large family into your home OR there may be a meter problem. Some gas meters are metric - cubic metres - while most are still Imperial - cubic feet - so there is a possibility of confusion. The person who reads your meter just takes down the numbers, and these remain in the same format. It isn't their fault, or necessarily your energy company's, since if the meter has been changed it should have been updated on the national Meter Point Reference (MPR) database so that your company can charge you correctly. This doesn't always happen quickly (or at all if there has been a problem) so please do check if you have 'ft3' or 'm3' on the front of your meter. If your company thinks you still have an Imperial meter while you have a new metric meter then expect your bills to triple - please contact your energy company immediately.
Rebound
There is a well established phenomenon known as the rebound effect. This occurs when people start to save money on energy, but then choose to use the same amount of money for more energy. This is something energy professionals have to be aware of. Frankly, if you're sitting in your home with two jumpers on it's got nothing to do with energy professionals - spend the money and stay warm.
Above all, keep warm and stay safe
This information and these measures are deliberately simple, and don't necessarily require spending money, or at least only such money as will repay itself very quickly.
Don't skimp on heating merely to save a few pennies. If you find you must skimp on your heating contact the local Citizens' Advice Bureau, who will be able to put you in touch with all sorts of useful people. Don't wait, they'll be glad to inform you of your entitlements as a consumer and may be able to speak to these people on your behalf.
