save some money with these simple tips.

Here are a few things to help you cut down and save on gas and electric.

MOST OF THESE THIN GS ARE COMMON SENSE.

Although our electric costs have sky rocketed - and for business we have 5% Climate Levy Tax added and then 20% VAT added on top of all that , so our utilities cost small business considerably more than the same thing does to a member of the public, and despite this, because we have turned it down, switched it off, changed light bulbs and made changes to how we cook, wash bedding and even how often we shower, the electric costs have - more or less - remained static to what they were which makes me aware how extravagant we were with electricity before and how wasteful, and how well done it is we have managed to lower our consumption and keep the bills within reach...

YOU SEE - IT CAN BE DONE.

If we as a business can do it - if we can cut down and save save save - then -

YOU CAN TO.

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ON CHARGE: How many items do you have plugged in and left on charge when they do not need to be ? Mobile and land line phones. Hair curlers / tongs - razors - lap tops, lights on remote control plugs that use electricity even when switched off - same as your toothbrush - hair / beard clippers left on charge.

COMPUTERS : Switch off when not in use. I use a PC and it use to be on 24 / 7 and at nights is downloaded and cleaned itself up while I was asleep and now I switch it off at the end of the day and it saves enormously.

STEREO: I use to have music playing in the background quietly all day as it makes for a pleasant atmosphere but I now have silence.

FRIDGES: I admit, we do have 2 fridges - 4 fridge / freezers - 2 chest freezers - 1 upright freezer & 1 drinks fridge and during the week when no one is in, the drinks fridge and one other fridge are both switched off - as is one of the drinks fridges in the garage.

ELECTRIC BLANKET - Save on heating your home. Sit watching telly wrapped in an Electric Blanket - as you will be

toasty warm while the room / house is cold around you. No need to heat a big room just to sit and watch telly when you can be warm and toasty inside your blanket.

ALTERNATIVELY - If you have a telly in the bedroom, go back to bed and snuggle up warm in bed with the telly on and leave the heating off. If you have no telly in the bedroom you might want to consider putting one in as it will save you financially in the end.

Especially beneficial if you take a flask of hot cocoa / tea / Horlicks with you so you don't have to leave the warmth of the one bedroom and go into the cold to make a drink. PLAN AHEAD.

BLANKETS : Keep extra blankets / dressing gown handy to add extra weight and warmth to your bed.

Put your underwear / t shirts on the radiator so if you have it coming on before you get up, they will be all toasty warm around your bits when you put them on. ooooo nice.

WEIGHTED BLANKETS - BUY HERE - are the new thing that adds extra weight to the bed and makes you feel hugged.

TOWELS : I also keep a pile of large bath towels beside the bed as in the night if you are either cold or even too hot, towels are very good for both

SHOWERS / BATH TIME. Switch your hot water to come on just for a couple of hours in the morning and a couple of hours in the evening along with your central heating. If you get up at 8am, then have it come on at 7am and go off again at 8. 30am. No need heating a big tank of water if it is not going to be used. If there is no hot water when you want to shower, then you need to plan your shower times to match the hours when you know the hot water is on.

Do you REALLY have to shower and wash your hair every day.

ANSWER - NO YOU DO NOT. Do you REALLY have to put on clean clothes every day.

ANSWER - NO YOU DO NOT.

Unless dirty or smelly, we people, like most of our clothes can last 3 - 4 or even 5 days between washes and unless you have serious BO problems, or unless your dog has jumped up and covered you in mud, or you have a leaky butt hole - then most daily wear items, like your skin, can wait a week between washes - and then - FILL THE WASHING MACHINE.

STAND UP WASHES - at the sink saves a ton of hot water and heating and uses a LOT LESS WATER - so saving all round.

TIMERS: - THERMOSTATS - Unless we have a really cold spell - as signed in the bedrooms - the HOT WATER & HEATING is on between 7 - 10am - then between 5 - 10pm - this warms the house for breakfast and dinner / evening and if showers are used outside of these times then guests may wash in cold water or use up all the remaining hot water and the kitchens and laundry now go without. So we request guests respect our times and shower etc. within these times.

IF YOU DON'T LIKE IT - ha ha - then tough shit and anyone giving me a Karen Attitude WILL be told in no uncertain terms. Do not test me. The world is changing and if you cannot move along with it and see how EVERYONE is adapting - has to adapt - to a new way of living - then you will be left behind and like the Dinosaurs - you will go extinct.

BEDDING - Hotels change the bedding very single day - HUGELY EXTRAVAGANT - and at Hamilton Hall we wash the bedding after every guest and not every day at all, and if a guest is here for a longer period, we change the bedding once a week.

RADIATOR DRYING : If using your central heating even if just for short periods, dry your semi damp clothes on the radiators and stop using the expensive electric guzzling tumble dryers.

CABLE TV. Cancel cable TV and trim entertainment costs. ...

Many are paying between £10 - £75 A MONTH for cable TV with sports and movie channels. Prioritize what is important in your life and do you REALLY need more than one cable company ? Do you REALLY need several sports channels / News Channels / Movie channels ? Isn't one enough.

SUBSCRIPTIONS: Gym Memberships / Magazine Subscriptions like Which Magazine. If you use the gym, then use their showers and save money at home. If not, do you really need a gym subscription ?

REDUCE YOUR ELECTRICITY USAGE.

FAN HEATERS are VERY costly to run. Oil filled electric radiators are more economical and offer a better heat which lasts long after you switch the thing off.

LED LIGHT BULBS throughout. ALL lights have to be L:ED and while the dimmable ones are £6 PER BULB, make sure you get dimmable ones for your dimmers as many LED's are NOT dimmable and will pop within a few weeks if you dim them when in use and you will waste a lot of money of the cost of the bulbs. LED may be costly but if used sensible should last a long time and use 1/4 the electricity than the old bulbs. LED BULBS ARE TOO BRIGHT - Transparent Glass paint - Paint the bulbs - I use this one CLICK HERE and a little gold / yellow paint on the bulb dims down the bright white stark cold light and turns is warm and cosy while still giving plenty of light and still saving money.

Switch lights off all the time and it may look nice at night to have ambient lighting but when it costs as much as it does, switch them off and keep it to the minimum at night.

If you are a safe person, use night lights in glass holders and NEVER PUT A NIGHT LIGHE STRAIGHT ONTO A PLASTIC SURFACE AS IT WILL MELT THROUGH AND CAUSE FIRES - ALWAYS PUT ANY NIGHT LIGHT / CANDLE INTO A SAFE HOLDER AND POSITION AWAY FROM CURTAINS ETC.

CANDLE HEATERS - and they do work brilliantly in smaller rooms. 3 Night Light on a dish - raised up slightly - as shown - with a terracotta pot upside down will garner a great deal of heat even from just 3 or 4 night lights.

ALWAYS BE CAREFUL WITH CANDLES

COMPUTERS: I now switch mine off at nights whereas I left it on 24 / 7 when there is absolutely no need. One night a week it upgrades and does all sport of things so I leave it on Saturday nights to renew / refresh and whatever it has to do otherwise, off it goes.

KITCHENS.

KETTLE: Fill the kettle with just enough water you need and not waste a whole kettle of hot water when all you need is a single mug.

OVENS:

Do you REALLY need to warm the oven so long before actually using it. Do you REALLY need the whole oven on just to warm a couple of plates. Do you REALLY need both ovens going when you can cram items into shared dishes and shelves and pre cook where you can and save as ovens are costly in electric.

Do not switch the oven on just to warm up a couple of dinner plates.

AIR FRYER OVEN. I invested £350 in a large one for Hamilton Hall as they cook chips etc. in just 20 minutes with almost no cooling oil at all, so healthy, BUT they also are much cheaper to run while still using electricity, it is a smaller oven and so uses less power.

All sorts of Microwave ovens, light ovens and thermal things are available that are electric cutting easy options.

PRESSURE COOKERS - save a great deal of time and costs of cooking stews etc.

ELECTRIC HOB: Heat and cook what you need and not enough to feed the whole street, unless you ARE feeding the whole street. Put lids on saucepans and keep the heat in and so cook quicker.

IRON: I have a big table top steam iron and BOY does the electric meter start buzzing when that sucker goes on. I fold all my clothes and bedding to fit the iron perfectly so I do not need waste time and electricity standing before a hot iron - wasting - while I fold sheets etc. ready to be ironed. Get the folded all ready and that means your clothes as well. BE PREPARED and speed through it as quick as you can and this will save enormously.

Do you REALLY need to iron your underwear or bottom sheet ?

COFFEE MACHINES - DRINK ELECTRICITY while you drink coffee. Try instant coffee instead.

TELEVISION. Switch your TV off if not in use. Many leave the TV on in the background - where they are not watching it - just to have some sounds / noise in the background as silence is deafening. I am guilty of this and have Judge Judy playing on the kitchen telly while I am not even in there - so why waste the electricity ?

WASHING MACHINES . The lower temperature wash is fine.

On my machine a HOT WASH takes 3½ hours - which is absolute insanity. I use the 20 minute cool wash with anti bacterial stuff and if I need the odd item hot washed, then I do so in a big saucepan on the stove in 10 minutes and not over 3 hours. The smell reminds me of my Grandmother who washed everything on the stove and takes me back to my childhood so I find great joy in doing this.

Fill the washing machine. Do not wash one or two items but fill the machine.

DISH WASHERS - Try washing by hand for a change and this saves huge amounts of electricity. If you insist on using the Dish Washer - at least fill it and do not run half empty.

MOTOR CAR - Shop around for cheaper insurance. Unless you have to, use your car as infrequently as you can. I use mine just to go to Aldi or Tesco and that's about it. I do not commute. I do not travel very far and if you do, drive slower to use less fuel. Take the clutter out of you car and boot as everything you have adds weight and this costs in fuel consumption to schlep around all the time.

If only using the car occasionally, it is probably cheaper to take a cab if and when you need to go out or even use your FREE BUS PASS if you are of a certain age ... Car Tax. Insurance. Petrol and servicing regularly costs thousands every year. This list is just off the top of my head and of you can think of something to add, sharing with us helps everyone.

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