During the winter everyone benefits from energy-saving methods. Did you know that by following our energy-saving recommendations, you can save a significant amount of money each year? Every little step counts, from installing draft excluders to resetting your central heating boiler. Scroll down to read about the improvements that can make a huge difference in your energy bill.
Tip 1: Try to heat in a smart way
Close connecting doors and only heat the rooms that are being used. Turn off the radiator in rooms where you will not be present. Do you find that your doors have a tendency not to remain closed? Install some automatic door closers. In this manner only the rooms that you will use, will need heating.
Tip 2: Turn down the thermostat to 15 degrees at night
This will save a lot of energy, especially in poorly isolated houses. To save even more money, turn down the thermostat one hour before going to bed. Do you have heated floors? Reduce your thermostat to 17 or 18 degrees Celsius; otherwise, it will take too long to warm them up again.
Tip 3: Turn down the thermostat to 15 degrees when no one is at home
In this way your home won’t be unnecessary heated in the mornings. Your gas expenses would go down significantly if you do this four days a week. The floor heating needs to be left at 17 or 18 degrees here.
Tip 4: Turn down the thermostat by one degree
If you turn down the thermostat by just one degree, your home will usually still be warm enough. Before turning on the radiator, try to make yourself comfortable by wearing a warm sweater or using a blanket on the couch.
Tip 5: Stop standby consumption
Make sure that your electronic devices are completely turned off instead of putting them into standby mode. Check to see if your television has a switch-off button, for instance. Don’t forget your phone charger. If the charger remains connected to the socket, you will continue to use energy. A powerstrip with a switch makes it simple to turn everything off at once.
Tip 6: Stop draft in your home
Install draft excluders on your windows and doors. Remember to isolate the shutter in your attic or cellar and use a draft strip designed for your mailbox.
Tip 7: Use a drying rack
Use a drying rack to air dry your clothes rather than a dryer. If you don’t have enough room to air dry your clothes, opt to only put half of your laundry in the dryer. Another option is to search for drying racks that fold into one another. In this manner, drying your clothes won’t take up a lot of room.
Tip 8: Take a shorter shower
To save a lot of money on your energy bill, take a 5-minute shower, set the temperature a little lower than usual, and use a gentler spray.
Tip 9: Get rid of your second fridge or switch it off
In the Netherlands, one in five homes has an additional refrigerator in a shed or storage room. Since this is a true energy waste, it would be best to eliminate or (temporarily) turn it off.
Tip 10: Install radiator foil
If your radiators are positioned against non-isolated walls, place some radiator foil behind them. This will redirect the radiator’s warmth inside the home.
Tip 11: Close your curtains
Windows and gaps allow a great deal of heat to escape from houses. Close your curtains at night so that this warmth stays inside. Do your drapes dangle over your radiator? Trim them short or place them on the windowsill.
Tip 12: Water-saving showerhead
Almost every hardware store sells water-saving shower heads that are simple to install. Up to 75 m3 may be saved annually if two people had a 9-minute shower once a day.
Tip 13: Turn down your central heater boiler to 60 degrees
While it functions equally well at 60 degrees, a central heating boiler is often programmed to operate automatically at 80 degrees. This setting is simply adjustable, as is the eco-setting. In rooms that lose a lot of heat, you can also add isolation materials to the central heating pipes.
Tip 14: Use the eco-setting of your dishwasher
Because it takes longer than the standard setting, it can occasionally appear to cost more money. This is untrue — cleaning your dishes with the eco-setting won’t use additional water or energy. Additionally, only run your dishwasher when it is completely filled.
Tip 15: Use LED-lights
Instead of using outdated light bulbs, use LED lights. LED replacements will save you several euros annually because they consume only 10% of the energy of these outdated bulbs.
Tip 16: Wash your clothes at 30 or 40 degrees
Your washing machine will use a lot less energy to heat up your clothing, if you wash them at a lower temperature or in the eco-mode. Every year, this saves 36 kWh.
All of these tips can impact your energy consumption this winter. Do you want to be even more sustainable? Apply for energy at om | nieuwe energie!
The Cohesion and om | nieuwe energie work together to increase sustainable living in The Netherlands. We do that by supplying the buildings of The Cohesion and the appartments with 100% renewable energy. Clean energy which we produce in your own neighbourhood by roofs full of solar panels and local wind turbines.