With a further energy price cap increase scheduled to be implemented in October, here at MDS Electrical we have put together a list of electrical improvements you can make to reduce your energy consumption. Whether you are looking to make reductions in a residential property, or cuts in a commercial premises, we have solutions for you.
Lighting
Upgrading your lighting arrangements is one of the most cost-effective ways to improve your energy efficiency. Lighting makes up approximately 11% of the average UK home’s electricity usage. Modern LED lamps are the most efficient option and can result in significant savings over the outdated incandescent, halogen, or fluorescent lamps which are now being phased out and discontinued. If you are yet to make the switch, changing from incandescent to LED lamps could result in savings of 75% or more, and the lamps last a lot longer.
In a commercial setting you could be looking at savings on a far greater scale, if your premises has outdated fluorescent strip lights, they will be wasting a significant amount of electricity as heat, which is especially undesirable in the summer months! Upgrading to LED fittings is an upgrade that can quickly pay for itself, and then result in significant savings, it could also reduce the costs of cooling your workspace if you have air conditioning.
Timers
Many electrical appliances and fittings in your home can be put on timers to reduce the usage to only when required. Timers are commonly installed on immersion heaters and can be programmed to take advantage of economy 7 supplies, or ensure hot water is available in the mornings and evenings. Another option to consider are Wi-Fi enabled/smart sockets and spurs, these allow you to set appliances on timers and even check whether you have turned them off remotely, from your mobile phone.
Stop Standby Drain
Even if you think your appliances are switched off, they could still be using power. Whilst standby mode uses less energy than when an appliance is turned on, it doesn’t stop the device drawing power altogether. The only way to ensure no power is drained is to unplug the device or switch it off at the socket, in a residential setting the smart sockets or spurs mentioned above can be used for this purpose, whilst in commercial settings “kill switches” can be installed to cut off the power to entire banks of devices.
If you would like to discuss improving your energy efficiency to reduce your electricity bills, please don’t hesitate to get in touch today. If you are based in Peterborough, Stamford, Yaxley, Market Deeping, or surrounding areas we would be glad to assess the improvements you could make. You can call us on 01733 698151 or fill out our contact form here.
