How to reduce energy consumption

Reducing our average energy consumption is fundamental to limiting the emissions we release into the environment. Tracking our consumption data is key to helping us change how we use electricity, gas and other energy sources to ensure our emissions are at as low a level as possible. So, how can we tell how much electricity we’ve used? Totting up our total consumption isn’t as difficult as you might think, which boosts the global movement to reduce our emissions, across homeowners and business.

Why is it so important to reduce our average energy consumption?

On the one hand, reducing our energy consumption means we can cut the cost of our energy bills across electricity, gas and other sources of power. Yet there are wider, more global reasons for cutting our energy consumption: reducing our emissions to protect the environment.

Greenhouse gas emissions from our energy consumption (mainly carbon dioxide and methane) are driving global climate change. Climate change is threatening all life on earth, so it’s vital that all homes and businesses play their part in reducing energy consumption.

In the UK, power suppliers are required to help consumers keep track of their electricity consumption in particular by installing smart meters in their homes. These automatically track each home’s electricity use data so that consumers can monitor and reduce their energy consumption, lowering their emissions.

Take your electricity, gas and water consumption to a new low

It’s obvious, really: to reduce your average energy use, you need to use less electricity, gas, water and other resources and energy sources. It’s vital to remember that you can reduce your energy consumption by turning your home heating down low.

Many homes (and business premises, too) are overheated, so could reduce their emissions by using less electric or gas energy for this purpose.

Small, day to day actions to reduce your average energy consumption

The classic tips really work, so we’ll repeat them here!

Turn off the lights in your home or business when you’re not in the room
Use LED or low energy bulbs to reduce your electricity use
Buy low energy household appliances - and make sure you have the low energy options turned on!
Minimise your use of air conditioning and heating - open windows when it’s warm and use extra layers when it’s cold
Don’t leave your electrical devices on standby - turn them off when you’re not using them

You’ll have heard all these tips before, but they really do work to bring down your average energy consumption and your emissions.

Choose renewable energy sources over fossil fuels to reduce your emissions

Use renewable energy sources such as solar power, rather than fossil fuels such as oil or gas.

Using renewable energy can cut your energy cost (the sun’s power is free, after all!) and will, of course, bring your emissions down to a new low.

Install an efficient thermostat to optimise your home or business heating

Heating likely makes up a significant portion of your average energy consumption.

A smart thermostat lets you better control and program your home or business heating, so you can optimise your power consumption and reduce your energy cost.

Reduce your energy consumption with a Netatmo Smart Thermostat, whichever mode of heating you use - electricity, oil, gas, and so on. Remotely program and adjust your home heating to optimise your energy consumption, reduce your emissions and save money on your energy costs!

Improving energy efficiency in your home

How energy efficient your home is plays a key role in determining your average energy consumption. If you can make your home more energy efficient, you can use less power to achieve the same levels of heating, hot water, electrical power for your devices, and so on.

So, by spending time on making your home more energy efficient, you can bring your emissions and energy cost down to a new low! Of course, the same applies for business premises, too. Increasing energy efficiency is the obvious choice: it’s best for the environment and best for cost.

Below are a variety of key pointers to get you started on increasing your energy efficiency.

Make small, daily changes to reduce your energy consumption

It doesn’t take grand, sweeping gestures to significantly improve your energy efficiency. Simply by turning off lights and electrical devices in your home or business when you’re not using them can make a real difference in reducing your emissions!

Revisit the basic daily energy efficiency pointers above for more tips.

Insulating the attics, walls and windows in your home or business

Around 30% of heat escapes through the attic or roof, while around 20% escapes through the walls. A small amount of heat will also escape through the doors and windows of your home or business premises.

So, to improve your energy efficiency and reduce your power consumption for heating, make sure all these areas are well-insulated.

Install energy efficient and low cost heating and hot water systems

Once you’ve made simple changes to your day to day energy consumption habits and worked on your home or business insulation, it’s time to invest in high power, low cost heating and hot water provision.

In general, the more modern the device, the more efficient its average energy consumption will be - we’re talking about devices that have been introduced within the last 15 years, but the more recent, the better. The most advanced devices may be more expensive to purchase initially, but will counteract this by the amount you save by being more energy efficient over the years that follow.

If you’re looking for more energy efficiency, low emissions and low ongoing costs for heating and hot water systems, we’d recommend taking a look at geothermal heat pumps or gas condensing boilers.

Install Netatmo Smart Radiator Thermostats to go one step further in regulating your energy consumption! Depending on your lifestyle and how often you use each room in your home, you can regulate its heating for optimal comfort and reduced heating cost.