Quick Immediate Fixes to Slash Energy Bills
Want to shrink your carbon footprint and your monthly expenses at the exact same time? It sounds like a win-win, but figuring out where to start can feel overwhelming. You don’t need a massive solar panel installation or a complete home overhaul to make a difference.
Sometimes, the biggest savings come from the smallest changes around the house. Read on to discover easy, budget-friendly hacks that will instantly lower your energy bills without cramping your lifestyle.
Also read how to install affordable home insulation. And maintain your boiler.
- Switch to energy efficient lightbulbs.
- Unplug ‘vampire devices’ (things that are left on standby when you could turn them off: TVs, gaming consoles, phone chargers (don’t charge at night when you are sleep).
- Turn off lights when you leave a room. This is also good to stop birds flying into windows.
- Only turn down the thermostat by a degree or two (and put on a sweater) if safe to do so. For old people and pets, it could cause hypothermia in very cold weather.
- Clean or replace air filters every 1 to 3 months on heating/cooling systems, to keep them running efficiently.
- Use draught stoppers under doors, and seal leaky windows. Learn more on how to draught proof your home.
- Run full loads on your dishwasher and washing machine.
- If drying outside, store rotary lines away when not in use (same with football nets, to stop wildlife getting trapped).
- Match pot sizes to burners, to prevent wasted heat.
Take the free carbon calculator to save big!
Carbon Savvy’s carbon calculator is wonderful and free! It was created by Mukti Mitchell, a carbon expert, who once built a solar-powered boat and sailed it round the British Isles! He’s the son of ecological writer Satish Kumar.
To get the full benefits, do the full version. So sit down with a cup of tea and a paper and pen. You’ll need all the info about your home, dig out your bills to see how many watts you’re using etc. It also includes lifestyle changes, to reduce your overall carbon.
By the end, you will have heaps of info on how to reduce energy use in every area of your home and life. And that’s not just greener, but you will also save a fortune on energy bills.
The many benefits of humble hot water bottles
Hot water bottles have been around for eons. But investment in a good one can bring you nightly comfort without the high energy bills, can relieve menstrual cramps and has a lot of other benefits too!
Cosy Panda offers natural rubber hot water bottles sold with eco-friendly covers, all sustainably made, in a range of different colours and Sizes. All carry the Ethy guarantee of being a green company.
An ideal solution in an age of huge energy price increases, these covers feature unique bamboo and cotton combinations of stuffing/lining, for good heat retention.
The covers are handmade in Swindon, and sold in easy-to-recycle packaging. Some are made with recycled plastic bottles (not a good material for clothing due to releasing microplastics in the machine, but good for items like hot water bottles).
If you do wash the cover, read the instructions on how to safely remove it, and launder using a microfibre filter.
Safety Tips for Hot Water Bottles
It’s important to choose a quality hot water bottle for safety, to ensure it does not crack or burst, this could cause serious burns. Look for the UK BS 1970:2012 on the bottle neck, to ensure it meets British safety standards.
- Fill hot water bottles with two-thirds hot (let boiling water cool for 20 minutes) water.
- Don’t use hot tap water, as impurities can degrade the rubber.
- Squeeze out air, then screw the stopper on tight.
- Use a cover or towel to prevent direct skin contact (do not sit or lie on hot water bottles).
- Remove from your bed once it’s warm, before you fall asleep.
- Regular inspect for signs of wear, and store in a cool dry place with the stopper removed.
Hot water bottles are also good to dilate blood vessels and increase blood flow, using to ease muscle strain and arthritis, and menstrual cramps.
The range includes:
- Organic cotton and bamboo covers, for long-lasting heat
- Luxury bamboo hot water bottle covers
- Teddy covers (made from recycled polyester and bottles)
- Recycled faux fur hot water bottle covers
- Long hot water bottle covers (good for aching shoulders, back, tummy and feet)
- Mini hot water bottle covers (good for targeting aches and pains)
Replace Hot Water Bottles After 2 Years
All hot water bottles should be replaced every 2 years or so, as natural rubber does eventually crack with regular use. You can ‘check the age’ of your hot water bottle, by looking at the numbers on the flower-shaped symbol.
You can recycle hot water bottles at rubber recycling plants. CosyPanda say you can also use old ones as mouse mats or garden kneeling pads!
How Cosy Panda Helps Red Pandas!
For each hot water bottle sold, Cosy Pandas donates eto Red Panda Network, which helps to replant the lush Himalayan forests that red pandas call home, now their biggest threat due to deforestation.
Red pandas look very different to Chinese pandas, who also eat bamboo but are adapted to live in the snow (their ‘white faces’ are so bright they can even help mother’s to guide lost cubs in the dark!)
They also have hair on the soles of their paws to walk through snow, and flexible ankles, that let them descend head-first down trees!
Other Benefits of Hot Water Bottles
Not just for keeping you and your bed warm on cold nights, you can also (safely) use hot water bottles for the following benefits:
- Natural pain relief for cramps (including menstrual cramps) and muscle ache
- Help improve sleep, by increasing blood flow and regulating temperature.
- Helps sore muscles and stiff joints.
- No need for electric blankets (saves money!)
- Aids recovery from minor injuries
- Fill with cold water to apply a cold compress (for injuries)
Wonderbag (a slow cooker that needs no power!)
Wonderbag is a genius invention (in fact, the founder has been named one of the 50 genius creators on earth!) An idea inspired by her grandmother (who would cook food then wrap it in hay to keep it warm), it can be used in England for people concerned over energy bills.
But of course it’s also being used abroad, from Africa (to stop the use of dangerous kerosene and chopping down firewood) to more recently in Ukraine, where people can cook hot food, if they can’t afford bills or have no power.
Read up on food safety for people and pets. For tinned ingredients, rinse/remove lids (or pop ring-pulls over holes) then step on upper cans to pinch rims together, to stop wildlife getting trapped.
Unless you have food waste bins, just bin pepper and allium scraps (onion, leeks, garlic, shallot, chives), citrus/tomato/rhubarb scraps. To avoid acids harming compost creatures.
As a social enterprise, this company also uses profits to help provide low-cost cooking facilities to people in need around the world.
How Wonderbag works
First you boil your food. Once simmering, put pan in the Wonderbag. Close with the drawstring, and it will cook away for up to eight hours.
Sold in three sizes (for single households to large families), it’s made from polyester fabric on the outside, and inside repurposed foam insulation, which would otherwise have gone to landfill.
Before placing your post into the Wonderbag, lay a tea towel (or wooden chopping board) to help prevent the interior fabric from burning.
You can spot clean and hang to dry, or use a in a front-loading washing machine (due to synthetic fabrics, use a microfiber filter).
