Energy Saving Tips 3: Cleaning & Servicing
It may sound strange that cleaning is in this Energy Saving Tips guide, but this is a simple and effective way of helping reduce your energy costs. The following examples are only some of the items that can help save energy, you may have more items you can identify around your home to help cut down your energy bills.
Refrigeration
By far the biggest appliance in anyone’s home, the refrigeration unit have become more and more efficient over the years. It is an appliance that is never switched off and is rarely moved. A refrigerator works by using a cooling condenser unit which is generally located at the bottom rear of the refrigerator. This condenser moves refrigerant around the copper tubes in the refrigerator and freezer and cools the enclosure. As a consequence, the condenser needs to cool itself too. The harder it is for the condenser to cool, the more energy it uses.
A simple way to reduce the energy consumption of the condenser is to ensure that there is no dust on the cooling fins and, if possible, allowing a bit of space for the heat generated to dissipate.
Don’t forget to clean the seals! Gaps in the seals will cause the cool air in the fridge to escape, forcing the fridge to run more often.
Oven
Your oven is another piece of kitchen equipment that can benefit from a clean to help reduce its energy consumption. A regular clean is the easiest way to ensure that there is no excess grease build up which absorbs the heat generated by the oven element.
Like the fridge, gaps in the seals will cause the hot air to escape, forcing the oven element to run for longer, so remember to keep them clean.
Light Fittings
Make sure you give your light shades/covers a clean too. A build up of dust and bugs will reduce the light emitted by your light fittings. Make sure the light is switched off when cleaning!
Radiators (on central heating networks)
A harder feature to clean in everyone’s home is the radiators. Ensure dust and other objects are removed from any gaps in the radiator, this will help radiate heat out, warming the room quicker and use less energy.
Washing Machine
Everyone has heard about turning your washing machine temperature down to 30°C or lower, but why? Well the simple fact is, your washing machine will use its water heating element less. If you have a cold setting, even better. A cold setting will stop the washing machine from using its heating element at all.
Another tip is to only use the washing machine when it is close to, or at a full load.
Tumble Dryer
A tumble dryer is a great time saver, but it uses a lot of energy. If you are fortunate enough to have space, hanging your clothes outside to dry on a clothes line, or portable airer, is the best option. In winter, you may have room to hang your clothes out to dry on an airer inside your home. However, if you do need to use your tumble dryer, consider the following energy saving tips:
Empty the flint trap – this will allow better air flow and help dry quicker, with the added benefit of reducing a fire hazard.
Empty the condensation trap – this only applies to certain types of dryers and will help remove unexpected stoppages due to it being full.
Your drier will have different levels such as, “fully dry”, “dry when ironed”, etc., consider using a setting that will take less time and save energy, or if you can finish drying on a clothes line or portable airer.
Dishwasher
The dishwasher is an efficient appliance, it can handle a great deal of dishes, and is a heaven send when having a dinner party. You can help reduce your energy costs when using these by carrying out the following:
Work out the most efficient method to stack the dishwasher to maximise the space available.
Only run a dishwashing cycle when the dishwasher is full.
Use an ECO mode if available. These cycles may take a little longer than a standard wash, but are often done at a cooler temperature and reduces the heating element use.
Fans & Air Conditioning
Make sure any fans you use are cleaned of dust regularly. This includes the protective cage, blades, and the motor cooling inlets. These both ensure the fan can act more efficiently, saving energy and costs of running the device. Just remember to unplug any fan from the mains supply before cleaning.
If you have air conditioning there are a few tips we can provide you. If you have a split system, where you have a cooling unit mounted on the wall, make sure you clean the filter of dust and particulates every few months. This improves the air flow through the unit and reduces the energy required to cool the room. If your air conditioning system is a central system, that is, it runs throughout your home, ensure the intake vent is cleaned of dust and particulates, as well as the outlets.
For both split and central air conditioning, the outdoor unit will benefit from being shaded. This unit is where the cooling process actually takes place. If the outdoor unit is hot, it will take more energy to cool the refrigerant, but also to cool the condenser unit itself. If you are to add shade, ensure the outdoor unit has sufficient ventilation, as a tight enclosure will have the same effect as being directly in the sunlight and unable to cool as efficiently.
In these cost of living increases, some items may need to be put aside due to budget constraints. However, some actually may help in keeping your energy costs down and servicing is one of these items. Only a Gas Safe Register Engineer should work on gas equipment.
Boiler Servicing
Having a Gas Safe Registered Engineer attend and conduct a Gas Safe check on your boiler is not only a good idea to ensure your gas boiler is operating safely, they can also service the boiler to ensure its operating efficiently. A Gas Safe Engineer, as part of their safety checks, look at the exhaust generated by your boiler. They can calculate if your boiler is using too much or too little gas and if any carbon descaling is required. You should have your boiler Gas Safe Checked each year as it will let you know of any issues before they get even more costly.
Gas Hob Servicing
As part of a Gas Safe Check, the Gas Safe Engineer can also look at your gas hob. Like the boiler, they carry out measurement and calculations of your hob burner efficiency. If any issues, such as a burner working inefficiently can be resolved by the Gas Safe Engineer.
Bleeding Radiators (on central heating systems)
A service you may be able to perform is the bleeding of your radiators. Radiators operate best when they are free of air as this allows the hot water to flow through the entirety of the radiator. When air exists in a radiator, this water flow is disrupted. Air is often trapped in the highest radiator on a circuit, a wall length towel rail for example. You may need to re-pressurise your boiler once completed. If you are unsure of how to bleed a radiator, the Gas Safe Engineer may be able to perform this as part of the service.
Flushing Radiators
As part of your Gas Safe Service, you may wish get your radiators flushed. The Engineer will force the old fluids out of the radiator circuit and add an inhibitor which will protect the pipework and radiators from corrosion. This will also improve the efficiency of the central heating network as it will remove any rust and minerals which absorb heat.
Chimney Sweep
Another, often forgotten item is having the chimney serviced. Carbon build up in the flue of a wood or gas burner system can reduce efficiency of the burning device by restricting the air flow. A professional chimney sweep will clear these with their specialist equipment. A Gas Safe Check will also check the operation of the flue to ensure burnt gases are not escaping in dangerous ways.
Washing Machine
Your washing machine will likely have a filter down by the pump which removes the water from the washing machine. A 6-monthly check and clean of this filter will help the pump run more effectively and help prevent any issues, such as blockages, in the future.