6 clever ways to save energy in the bathroom
Unless you’ve adopted a more-cavalier approach to personal hygiene, odds are you will spend a lot of time in the bathroom over the course of a year. But this doesn’t have to translate into a significant surge in your power bill. With modern energy-saving techniques it’s possible to primp and preen without having to take a hit to the back pocket. Here are six of the most effective.
1. Changing your hot water system
It might sounds like a major project, but this can be as simple as getting a technician to make a minor alteration to the settings of your hot water heater. And if you’re willing to go all out consider making the transition to energy efficient solar or heat pump technology. You won’t notice a difference in the shower, but you will when you open your next electricity bill.
2. Minimise your time in the shower
A fast shower’s a good shower. Here’s another way to save energy in your bathroom which will eventually translate into a nice improvement for your bank balance over the course of the year. Keep showers short and sweet, ideally four minutes or under, and if you’re really keen consider switching shower heads to a more energy-efficient model. Every second counts!
3. Turn the lights out
This one may pretty self-explanatory, but you would be surprised to know how much energy is wasted every year by people leaving the lights on around the house. If you’re considering major renovations, make sure you take a moment to look ways to increase the amount of natural light in your bathroom light installing high windows or even a skylight. It all adds up!
4. Smarter ways to warm up
Everyone dreads that freezing cold moment they jump out of a hot shower, but that doesn’t justify having a 1,000 watt bar heater on standby. Only using heaters when it’s absolutely essential will dramatically decrease your power bill. If you’re renovating, make sure your bathroom is well-sealed an insulated, particularly around energy draining areas like the walls of your shower.
5. Invest in new fittings
Even if you’re not undergoing a major bathroom renovation that doesn’t mean you can’t stand to benefit from some new, energy-efficient fittings. Look out for the star rating when you’re purchasing and pretty soon you will be noticing some serious savings when it comes to your power bill. Before too long these newly-installed fittings will be paying for themselves.
6. The little things
When it comes to saving power the little things can make a big difference. Things like making sure a device is switched off instead of sitting on standby, making sure a device is not connected when it is fully charged and using a towel instead of a hairdryer are all things that require little or no effort on your part, but will make a serious difference on your next power bill.
So there you have it, a range of simple ways you decrease the amount of energy you’re using in the bathroom and save money to spend on things that are more important. Every little bit counts.
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