Consumer expert Alice Beer, appearing on This Morning, offered some invaluable guidance to help households slash their energy expenditure. Alice urged: “Never, ever do half loads [on the washing machine].
“One full load is much less energy than two half loads, that’s obvious. Think about what you’re using in the kitchen… it’s more efficient to use a dishwasher than washing up by hand – especially if you keep a tap running. The kettle… it honestly saves you money and helps the UK’s electricity supply if you’re just boiling the amount of water you need.”
Alice continued: “Think about using the microwave instead of using a cooker when you can – much cheaper to use a microwave.”
Alice also tackled switching to an off-peak tariff, recommending: “Look at how that works for you. We should all be thinking of using a lot less energy in that peak period [which is] 6pm to 8pm at night.”
Alice questioned: “Can you switch to having your meal a bit earlier or later perhaps? Using the dishwasher between 6pm to 8pm is a no-go.”
The expert also provided some wise guidance on cutting water consumption and, as a result, lowering bills.
Alice said: “There are different thermostatic controls that you should have a look at.
“The first one is the one that is usually in your hall and it’s a dial. One in five have got that set at 22 degrees – that’s Lanzarote temperatures!”
Lowering the temperature dial from 22 to 18 would be far more energy efficient and less costly to operate.
Moving on to radiators, she recommended: “The second thermostatic control is on your radiators, if you’ve got a valve on your radiator you need to be controlling that to get to the right temperature.”
She emphasised the significance of preserving energy by declaring: “Most importantly, you need to turn that right off if you’re not using a room – spare room, dining room, any room that you don’t use very often, turn the valve off.”
