Look to the details to keep your gas and electricity bills under control.
Very few UK families actually take the trouble to find out but if they did, they might be shocked to discover that they spend around £1400 a year on their gas and electricity bills: Quite a lot when you consider that the average disposable income per family is around £23,000 a year, meaning around 6 percent. Although the UK is feeling the effects of global warming more and more, there are still ways to reduce the burden of utility bills. They can be reduced by up to 25% with a little effort and diligence, by finding the cheapest gas and electric operating methods, with the money saved being put to a much better use.
To begin with, an average UK household spends around £150 a year on lighting. This is too much when you consider the developments in lighting technology in recent years. The new linear fluorescent bulbs not only use less energy but will also last around ten times longer. These compact fluorescent light bulbs have been designed to fit most standard fixtures, so there is no real need to replace any fittings in the short term. Estimates are that each bulb can save more than £30 in its long life span.
Another item of electricity wastage that needs to be placed under close scrutiny is the large number of fairly sophisticated electronics that even the average family has in use. These include televisions, DVDs and home computers. It is a common misconception that these items don't use too much electricity and none when they are in use. Plasma screen televisions are reputed to use tremendous quantities of electricity in return for the tremendous quality that they provide. However money can be saved by switching them off when no one is watching. Also, when TVs and DVDs are in standby mode they use up energy and should be switched off.
As far as using gas is concerned, the equations are slightly different. People generally invest in gas equipment for the long term, to heat their home or their hot water. It doesn't have to look too glamorous as long as it does the job, especially in the case of water heaters or boilers. Outlay on installing or updating a system can scare a lot of people away from the investment, which is very false economy. The savings made will be returned consistently over a couple of years, and the equipment will remain in place for years, if not decades longer.
Whatever you do and how far you take it, either diligence or wise investments will help the average UK family both reduce their outlays on heating and lighting their home while making the money that they spend on these important utilities stretch as far as they can.
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