Ways to reduce your energy bills
From smart meters and eco apps to plain old good advice, we bring you tips and technologies to help you manage the way you use energy around your home. To find out some other ways to reduce your bill click here.
20 Minute Spring Clean Fixes
- Switch to energy efficiency light bulbs and save around £40 per year
- Ditch the tumble drier. Tumble dryers are the most energy intensive household appliances. Dry clothes on a washing line instead and save about £70 a year.
- Stop leaving your appliances on standby. Instead, plug them in to a standby server, which will automatically switch off unused items, helping you to save up to £30 a year.
- Take control of your heating by turning your thermostat’s dial down by one degree and cut your energy bills by up to 10% and save £60 per year.
- Make homemade draught excluders for the doors and windows in your home by filling old tights and clothes.
- Get your boiler serviced. An inefficient boiler could cost you up to 30% of your gas bill (approximately £300), so now’s the time to get it checked.
- Also take the opportunity to bleed your radiators to ensure that you and your family are warm next winter.
Condensation and damp
We often get asked about problems with condensation and damp. Below are some facts about how to identify one from the other and tips on how to combat them.
What is condensation?
There is always moisture in the air, but basic household chores (such as cooking, taking baths, showers and drying clothes indoors) can produce up to 20 pints of water vapour each day within your home. It is important to remove this water vapour before it forms condensation. Poor ventilation and inadequate heating can increase the amount of condensation.
Examples of amounts of moisture produced in a 24 hour period include:
- Washing clothes – 1 to 2 pints
- Drying clothes – 6 to 12 pints
- Cooking – 3 to 7 pints
- Bathing and showering – 1 to 2 pints
- Washing dishes – 1 to 2 pints
- Two people at home all day will also produce three to five pints of moisture, while two people asleep for a night will produce another one to two pints.
What is damp?
Damp can be caused by:
- Leaking pipes, wastes or overflows.
- Water spillages in the bathroom .
- Leaks around the bath (edges need to be sealed by the tiles with silicone sealant).
- Not using a shower curtain or screen correctly.
- Rain seeping through the roof where a tile is missing or cracked.
- rain spilling from a blocked gutter or entering around windows.
- Ineffective damp proof course.
- Pooling of water against the house walls (this type of damp usually leaves a tidemark).
If this has happened in your home please call the repairs team or use our online repairs reporting form. If you do not think the dampness in your home is caused by any of these and there is no tidemark, it is probably condensation.
How to reduce condensation
Condensation that doesn’t dry out or escape through adequate ventilation can cause mould to form on walls, windows sills, furniture, clothes, and cold water pipes, and can rot timber.
The following tips will help you to reduce condensation in your home:
- Ventilate to remove moisture
- Keep a small window ajar when someone is in a room (some UPVC double glazed windows have a trickle ventilator you can use instead). Some windows can be locked slightly open to allow ventilation.
- Open windows when cooking, drying clothes and taking a bath or shower to allow fresh dry air to circulate through your home.
- Ventilate cupboards and wardrobes by leaving them open for a while or cutting a ventilation slot in the back of each shelf or behind each drawer.
- Avoid putting too many things in cupboards and wardrobes as this stops the air circulating.
- Leave a space between the back of the wardrobe and the wall to allow air to flow.
- Where possible, position furniture against warmer internal walls.
- Vent tumble dryers to the outside, unless it is the self-condensing type.
If you don’t have extractor fans, open bathroom and kitchen windows when in use and leave them open for a short time once you have finished bathing or cooking to let the moisture escape.
Controlling the moisture
- Cover pans and simmer when cooking, and do not leave kettles boiling - this will also cut your fuel bills!
- Where possible, dry your clothes outside on a line or in a well-ventilated room (with an open window or an extractor fan turned on).
- Don’t dry clothes on your radiators as this puts large amounts of moisture into the air. If you do have to use them, open as many windows as possible. Remember, covering radiators stops your room getting warm and dry.
- Close kitchen and bathroom doors when in use to prevent steam going into colder rooms.
- In cold weather, keep your heating on low all day throughout your home - this is important to help prevent condensation build up.
- Wipe down surfaces where moisture settles.
- Where fitted, use an extractor fan in the kitchen and bathroom as these are effective and cheap to run.
- Ensure you use bottled gas heaters in a well ventilated room, as they put a lot of moisture into the air.
Remember, you need to get written permission from your housing officer to use Calor gas bottles and heaters in your home.
Things to avoid
- Don’t block airbricks or vents in the wall.
- Don’t completely block redundant fireplaces - a hole the size of two bricks with an open louvered (‘hit & miss’) vent covering it will keep the chimney aired and dry.
- Don’t draught-proof rooms where there is condensation or mould.
- Don’t draught-proof a room where there is a cooker or fuel burning fire, such as a gas fire.
- Don’t draught-proof windows in the bathroom and kitchen.
Generally, draught-proofing your home is not a good idea if it is prone to condensation – it stops air circulation, increases condensation and it is not healthy for you and your family.
How to treat mould
- To kill and remove mould, wipe down walls and window frames with either a weak bleach solution or a fungicidal wash, which is available from most DIY shops.
- Dry-clean mildewed clothes and shampoo carpets.
- Avoid disturbing mould by brushing or vacuum cleaning as it can make existing respiratory problems worse.
- After treatment, redecorate using a good quality fungicidal paint. This helps prevents mould re-occurring.
Condensation or damp still a problem? If you follow these tips and guidance, but condensation, dampness and reoccurring mould growth is still a problem, please use our online repairs reporting form, call the repairs on 020 7424 7370 or email repairs@arhag.co.uk and will arrange for a surveyor to visit and inspect the problem.