Ten ways you can help others to get #SwitchedOn to energy saving

Ten ways you can help others to get #SwitchedOn to energy saving

With electricity now our lifeblood, critical to everyone, we could barely imagine how to run our lives without instant access to constant power. The growing need for increasing power places ever more demand on the electricity network. The number of electric vehicles on Britain’s roads is predicted to reach nine million by 2030, and with continued growth of personal electrical devices, from tablets to smartphones, more of us are going to be using a lot more electricity.

As a nation, we therefore need to do more to cut the amount of energy we use, protect the remaining resources we have and reduce the need to build costly new infrastructure. Part of this is about saving energy by implementing small and simple tricks at home and encouraging others to do the same. The other is about investing in renewable energies, such as solar and wind power, to start creating our own renewable energy. 

At Electricity North West, we connect more than five million people to the National Grid. By switching customers onto energy efficiency, our goal is to inspire people to rethink their approach to energy and how they use electricity to drive long-term, sustainable change. But we can’t do it alone. That’s why we need more Energy Busting Beths – who already implement lots of energy saving measures at home - to share their successes and become an energy champion and help Britain get #switchedon to real sustainability and a low carbon future.

We all know we could do more around the home to save energy, but where to start? While some of the biggest energy savers require time and investment, there are still plenty of lifestyle changes you can make that will save energy, and money.

Here’s ten ways how you can be an energy champion and encourage others to get #switchedon:

  1. Encourage friends and family to turn down the heat in their homes. Turning the thermostat down by just 1°C can save you as much as £60 per year. Also, explain that by keeping heating on a constant low heat could potentially save them more money than switching it on and off for big blasts of heat.
  2. Help them to turn down the pressure on the power shower. While a high-pressure power shower feels great, they sometimes use more water than a bath.  
  3. Explain that having solar panels installed could save as much as a third on electricity bills, or £400 a year.
  4. Help them to shrink their bills, not their clothes. 90% of a washing machine's energy expenditure is spent on heating the water, so if you wash your clothes at 30-40 °C you're saving significant amounts of money.
  5. Encourage your colleagues to turn off unused lights in the office and unplug all the appliances that they aren't using regularly - even chargers continue to use electricity when they aren't being used. Leaving things on standby may be easier but it's a guaranteed way to waste energy. This could save £30* a year.
  6. Get the kids involved. Play energy-saving games and get them to spot areas in the home where energy is being wasted and where lights, switches or appliances have been left on.
  7. Help elderly relatives and neighbours find out more about free cavity wall insulation. There are now government-backed full and partial grants available to help and it could save them 15% on their fuel bills; on average £98 a year. If you Install LED lights throughout their homes at the same time, they could save another £35*.
  8. Promote the benefits of your draught proofing on social media – the typical annual saving is £25*.
  9. Share pictures on your social media channels of your exciting new electric vehicle. Opting for a car fuelled by electricity could typically save £10, based on equivalent costs for driving 100 miles.
  10. Encourage friends and family to get free loft insulation. Heat rises, as much as 25% of the heat in their homes could be disappearing into their loft space. People might not know that even older properties that already have insulation in place may not have the recommended levels, particularly if it was installed in the 1970s or 1980s. There are loft insulation grants, which could save 19% on fuel bills – equating to an average of £128 per year.

To take part in Electricity North West’s Energy Test and start your journey to an even more energy efficient lifestyle, visit www.enwl.co.uk/switchedon . To say thanks, you’ll be entered into a competition to win an energy efficient TV and Tablet, as well as other spot prizes.

Fancy becoming the face of Electricity North West’s #switchedon campaign? We’re looking for energy heroes who want to improve their energy usage and save money to be a case study.

Let us follow you on your journey and share the difference you are making to your bills and the planet.

Email pressoffice@enwl.co.uk to express your interest.

*Based on figures from Energy Saving Trust