HOLI-YAY
Five crucial money-saving moves to make when heading on summer holidays – plus little-known appliance mode
An energy-saving checklist can help you keep your bills down
BRITS are preparing for their summer holidays, ready to swap unpredictable grey skies for warmer weather abroad.
While you dust off your suitcase and fill it with all your holiday essentials, you should also take some time to prepare an energy-saving checklist that could save you a few pounds while you're away.
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To help you keep your home safe and energy efficient, British Gas service and repair engineer, Joanna Flowers, has shared her holiday checklist.
She said: “It’s getting to that time of year when people across the UK are gearing up to go on holiday.
“With so much to think of, it’s easy to overlook the things you could be doing to save energy and keep your home safe while you’re away and having fun.
“But by making a few small adjustments, you can help to reduce energy usage and save on bills while you’re relaxing on the beach.”
READ MORE ABOUT ENERGY BILLS
Joanna has listed the top five things you should remember to check before you head off.
Power down
Leaving household appliances such as microwaves plugged in and switched on when not in use will still use up energy and cost you money.
This also applies when you leave your TV on standby, says Joanna.
You can save around £45 every year just by remembering to turn your appliances off standby mode.
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You should remember to switch off any electricals you won’t be using before you go away - and your wallet will thank you.
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Empty your fridge
Many households aim to eat everything they have in their fridge before going on holiday, leaving only the odd ketchup bottle or block of cheddar behind.
Not only does this prevent food waste, but it's also a good way to be more energy efficient.
Typically, fridges and freezers account for around 13% of an average household’s energy bill as they’re always on and using energy.
If you’re going away for a long period of time, it’s worth defrosting your fridge and freezer to avoid using unneeded energy or emptying them and powering them down completely.
However, if you can’t empty your fridge or freezer completely, it’s best to keep your fridge at 5C and freezer at -18C.
This is the ideal temperature and there’s no need for it to use more energy than it needs.
Some fridges also have a little-known function called 'holiday mode' which is meant to reduce power usage and save you money.
However, according to a test carried out by it might not always be worth the effort.
After testing 10 different fridge freezers, Which? found that the amount of energy saved was a maximum of £1 over four weeks.
The publication also noted that to use holiday mode correctly, you need to empty your fridge completely, which is not practical as many of us still leave a few items such as jam, chutney, or condiments.
How do I calculate my energy bill?
BELOW we reveal how you can calculate your own energy bill.
To calculate how much you pay for your energy bill, you must find out your unit rate for gas and electricity and the standing charge for each fuel type.
The unit rate will usually be shown on your bill in p/kWh.The standing charge is a daily charge that is paid 365 days of the year - irrespective of whether or not you use any gas or electricity.
You will then need to note down your own annual energy usage from a previous bill.
Once you have these details, you can work out your gas and electricity costs separately.
Multiply your usage in kWh by the unit rate cost in p/kWh for the corresponding fuel type - this will give you your usage costs.
You'll then need to multiply each standing charge by 365 and add this figure to the totals for your usage - this will then give you your annual costs.
Divide this figure by 12, and you'll be able to determine how much you should expect to pay each month from April 1.
Use smart tech
Joanna says using smart technology, such as British Gas' Hive Smart Thermostat, Google Nest or Honeywell Evohome, can help you keep your energy bills down during your holiday.
British Gas says that thanks to smart tech, you can turn your heating on and off from anywhere in the world using your phone.
If you realise that you’ve left your heating on after you’ve left for the airport, you can switch it off on the way.
You can also choose ‘Holiday Mode’ on the app and tell Hive when you’re coming back – meaning you can have your lights, boiler, and heating on and ready for when you step through the door.
Wash clothes at lower temperatures
Going on holiday means you'll likely have more clothes to wash, both before heading off and after coming back.
Joanna recommends washing your clothes at a cooler temperature, such as 40C or 30C.
British Gas estimates that washing clothes at 30C rather than higher temperatures will save around 40% of the energy used each year.
This will also lower your environmental footprint and help your clothes last longer.
Another way to save money is to skip the drier and either air dry your clothes or hang them outside when it's sunny.
READ MORE SUN STORIES
Smart lighting
When we're in a rush to go to the airport, there's a risk that we leave some lights on by mistake.
But if you use smart lighting, you can check your lights remotely and switch them off if you leave them on.
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Do you have a money problem that needs sorting? Get in touch by emailing [email protected].
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