GREEN Frog Blog - Energy Saving

The second blog in our GREEN Frog Blog series focuses on energy saving and the ways in which members of the Frog team have made economical use of electricity, gas, or other forms of energy at home.

Going green by being energy efficient, not only lightens the impact on your pocket but more importantly, helps to reduce unnecessary pollution and protects the environment.

Simply put, it helps reduce the need for fossil fuels, and in turn, this lowers the levels of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere. Surprisingly, some of the smallest changes can provide the greatest results!

Here some of the team’s tips on how to conserve energy at home:

Manage your thermostat

By only turning the thermostat up when you are at home, and awake can have a big impact on your energy bills and energy efficiency. Start using the timer so that the heating goes off at night or set intervals throughout the day. Adjust the thermostatic values on individual radiators, if you aren’t using a room, you can turn the thermostat down. Ensure that your boiler is running efficiently with an annual boiler service.

Switch off unnecessary lights

It’s the simple things, such as switching off lights when you aren’t using them, fitting PIRs in place of switches on some of the household lights and changed the bulbs to LEDs stated Ian, Decarbonisation Project Manager.

No more tumble dryer

One of the items that came up several times was that some people no longer used a tumble dryer, and instead let clothes hang dry the old-fashioned way. It’s a free, easy way to dry clothes and doesn’t use energy. Or, if you really need to use the tumble dryer, putting in a dry towel with the load will considerably reduce drying times.

Fit Solar Panels

We’ve had solar panels fitted that charge up a set of batteries in the house during the day, which runs the house electrics and re-charge the cars overnight. We also have a ground source heat pump in the garden which brings heat up from deep underground and heats the house and our hot waterShelley, Frog Bikes Co-founder commented.

You can even sell back up to half of the energy you generate back to the grid so that someone else can use it.

Travel using electric!

Electric cars are now widely used, and offer many advantages, including reducing emissions, that contribute to climate change and smog, improving public health and reducing ecological damage. Charging these electric vehicles using renewable energy minimises these emissions even further.

Walk instead of drive

Team members who live locally have reduced their carbon footprint, by walking to work instead of driving, and limiting the time at the wheel to only essential travel.

Take shorter showers

Whilst it’s lovely to take a long relaxing shower, the longer you’re in there, the more energy you are using. This not only uses water but the energy to heat the water. By just reducing your shower by a mere few minutes can add up to saving a significant amount of energy each year.

Get insulated

One of the team got their roof replaced on an older house and put in extra insulation, to reduce the amount of energy needed to heat the house.

Swap to LED Bulbs

Only 10% of the energy of traditional light bulbs was converted to producing light, whilst the other 90% was lost as heat! LED bulbs actually convert over 90% to light, which means they need far less energy to light up a room. And with a staggering 34-year average lifespan, you won’t need to change them too often either!

Turn water off

When brushing your teeth, shaving, or washing your hands, you don’t need to have the water running constantly. Turn it off until you actually need it.

Unplug unused electronics

All items that are plugged in bleed energy. Even turned off, many appliances will keep drawing power. If you have a smart meter, check the usage of your appliances to find out which ones are the biggest users!

Fix leaky Taps

Prevent water wastage, by fixing those pesky leaking taps. Whilst they may only slowly drip, one drip per second amounts to more than 3,000 gallons per year - That’s enough for 180 showers!
(Source:www.watercalculator.org)

Switch to a Green Energy Supplier

Green Energy is a great way to cut your carbon footprint, as it is sustainably generated from green and renewable sources, such as hydro, wave, wind and solar, and they offer carbon neutralised gas, as opposed to using fossil fuels.

So, why not make a start in lowering your carbon footprint today and take responsibility for your own energy usage. As you can see, it’s easy to make a difference with only small changes - every little helps!