Energy saving myths

Four things you think are saving you energy but really aren't

With issues like the economy and climate change on everyone's minds, more and more people are looking for simple ways they can save on energy bills. However, a lot of these 'method's are actually making you waste more energy.

1.      Turning the heating up full will make your home hotter faster - 

A common mistake a lot of people make; putting the heating on full ‘for a little bit’ to heat your home up quicker, therefore saving time and energy. However, this doesn’t work, as most heating systems work by heating an area up to the pre-set temperature and then switching off when it is reached. This means it takes the same amount of time for a room to reach 25C when it is set to 25C as it does to reach that temperature when it is set to maximum. It’s just like pressing the button at a crossing; you think that by pressing the button repeatedly makes the lights change faster, but the system starts working straight after the first time you press it.

2.      Hand washing dishes is better than using a dishwasher - 

It may seem hard to believe, but on average a dishwasher uses less hot water to clean the dishes than washing them in the sink, if used properly. Make sure you maximise the use of the dishwasher but only cleaning full loads, by not pre-rising them first (as this doesn’t really help clean them better) and by letting the dishes dry naturally on the side rather than using the machine’s drying function.

3.      Using a portable heater to heat one room rather than using central heating to heat entire house -

This seems to make perfect sense; if you only want to warm your living room then using a portable heater rather than the central heating is surely more energy efficient? Unfortunately, portable heaters are major drainers of electricity, meaning that using them to replace your central heating is actually costing you more. If you do want to reduce heating bills simply lowering the temperature setting by a degree or two is the most effective way to do so. Also, if you are feeling a little bit cold, just put on a jumper or an extra pair of socks and you’ll soon warm up.

4.      Leaving fans/ceiling fans on will cool down a room -

Saving energy isn’t just about ways to stay warm efficiently. When we have hot weather we often resort to using electric fans or ceiling fans to cool us down. Because this method works, a lot of people leave fans turned when they aren’t in the room to maintain the cool temperature in there for when they return. Unfortunately, this doesn’t work, as fans cool people, not rooms. All a fan does to create a breeze which, when it hits your skin, gives the impression of coolness. But the temperature never actually changes, so when you aren’t in the room nobody is getting the benefit of the fan, so it is wasting energy.