7 Ways To Save Energy Over The Holidays
The holiday season is finally here and we’re prepped for celebrations! With the amount of decorations and lights we use around this time of year it’s likely our energy consumption increases too.
Whilst there has been a recent rise in current energy bills, due to a shift in the energy sector, you can be smart and avoid these. If you’re hosting celebrations and worried about the additional costs of this, we’ve got you covered.
Here are 7 ways to save energy, and be in full control over your home, seeing energy saving in no time.
7 Tips:
- Check fairy lights are energy efficient
- Have a cold buffet!
- Do things together and switch off devices
- Indulge and layer up warm
- Batch cook your party food
- Try out heatless styling
Check your fairy lights are energy efficient
Whilst it’s good that we often use the same lights every year, it’s important we check these are saving energy. Replacing your lights with LED lights can reduce your energy consumption. These have lower wattage, with almost no excess heat at all. According to Power NI, this could save households nearly £35 a year on bills. So when decorating your tree, why not switch it up.
Have a cold buffet!
Who says you need to have a warm holiday dinner. Having a cold buffet uses less energy than heating food; and potentially reduces food wastage, compared to food that cannot be reheated again. Of course, after any meal, there is always washing to do. But do you know a fully loaded dishwasher could use less energy than washing by hand?
According to Money.co.uk, a single dishwasher cycle costs the same amount as leaving the hot water tap on for between six and nine minutes. If you don’t have a dishwasher, use a bowl to wash up instead, this could save you £25 a year in energy bills. Who would have thought washing up pays?
Do things together and switch off devices
We’ve all been there, watching festive TV shows, whilst blasting music and enjoying all the festivities. Whilst we are all about enjoying the holidays, try to use one device at a time – remember when we all used to gather around one TV?! Bring it back to basics this year and spend some quality time enjoying music or watching your favourite films with everyone around one device. You might save energy and gain some extra quality time with friends and family.
Once the day is done, remember to switch off your devices and fairy lights at the plug when you aren’t using them. This might not seem much, it will help to save some energy, reducing household energy bills and overall carbon emissions.
Layer up and wrap up warm
Did you know that 96% of UK homeowners are concerned with energy efficiency? Even the smallest of changes can make a difference. So layer up your party wear with a warm outer layer instead of cranking up the heating. And if you’ve been indulging in food all day, your body temperature might have risen anyway! Eating generally leads to an increase in body temperature of up to 2 degrees – who would have thought?
Batch cook your party food
With the majority of the holiday season, surrounded by festive foods and indulging in seasonal dinners once a year, use all your kitchen and cooking appliances efficiently. When you’re using your oven or fridge, keep the doors shut and try to make big batches of food when possible. This drastically increases your energy efficiency.
The Energy Saving Trust also found that keeping your lids on your pans during cooking uses 10% less energy and helps cook food quicker – a win-win! If you can avoid microwaving food on the day to defrost. Instead of defrosting food in the fridge, this will act as a cool box for your food, reducing electricity and keeping your food fresh.
Try out heatless styling
If you are getting ready to enjoy the festive season, why not try out heatless styling. Try hairstyles that don’t involve heated hair tools or hairdryers. This drastically increases your energy consumption and negatively contributes to your carbon footprint.
Instead, try out heatless hairstyles and leave all the heating for roasting the Turkey. Another piece of advice, steam and don’t iron. If you leave your outfit by the shower, the steam will work its magic and remove creases, with no extra energy wasted.
Looking for more general energy saving tips for all year round? See our advice on how make your home more energy efficient.
With all the extra energy we use over the festive period, choosing a renewable green energy source makes even more sense. At Co-op Energy, we supply our customers with 100% renewable energy, from a variety of green energy sources. So they can have peace of mind knowing their festive lights and ongoing festivities are making a positive climate change.
Why not make this holiday season your most sustainable yet and switch to our climate positive broadband. We partner with Ecologi to plant a tree for every broadband customer, every month, so long as you are with us. A truly green energy provider, protecting the environment every time.
