Energy saving tips for over the festive season

Christmas can be expensive enough without energy bills racking up too. But the good news is that with a few clever tips you’ll have more to spend on loved ones. From being fairy light conscious to layering up the blankets, they do say every little helps. So read on to help reduce your bills with these energy saving tips for over the festive season…

Use Christmas LED’s

First and foremost the star of the show – those magical Christmas lights! We’ve come a long way since the 1980s and so have fairy lights too which is why you should stay steer clear of incandescents and switch to LED’s. According to the Energy Saving Trust, LED lights use 90% less energy. They’ll also reduce the risk of fire and provide a festive ambience this yuletide.

Keep radiators clear

During the winter months, it’s important to try and keep as much heat in as possible so when it comes putting up the tree, positioning is surprisingly key. In terms of decorating for Christmas, try not to block off any crucial heat sources. Also keep bulky items away from radiators to let warmth flow around the room.

Energy saving cooking

If you’re lucky enough to be in charge of Christmas dinner, consider cooking several dishes at once. Keep the microwave reserved for smaller dishes and the oven reserved for large. It also takes the same amount of energy to heat a full oven as it does a nearly-empty one so by cooking smart this Christmas you’ll save copious amounts of energy.

Keep draughts out

During the colder months, much of a home’s heat is lost through gaps around doors and windows. By draught-proofing your home you will, therefore, save around £25 a year on utility bills. We recently posted an article discussing winter heating tips so why not have a read of this for even more energy saving advice.

Insulate exposed pipes

Exposed pipes is another a big one especially during freezing temperatures but did you know that you could save around £10 per year on heating bills by insulating pipework correctly?

Turn electrical items off standby

We all forget to do it but it’s really worth remembering because by turning off electrical items you could save £30 a year! This also includes TV’s and laptops when they’re not in use. There are even standby-saver plugs that power down appliances when you’re done.

Turn down the thermostat

We also addressed this recently, as backwards as it sounds but did you know that by simply turning your thermostat down you could save £85 a year? One other thing to think about is the guests you’re having over because all those extra bodies mean extra generated heat!

We hope you have found this article helpful for keeping a tab on your energy and please get in touch should any issues arise with your heating this festive season. From all of the team at Direct Heating, we’d like to wish you a very Merry Christmas and here’s to a New Year filled with warmth and most importantly, lots of happy homeowners!