Simple ways to stay cool & save energy in the summer

As the great British summertime heats up, people around the country fight to stay cool. Keeping your home – and yourself – frosty doesn’t need to cost a fortune. With a few simple tricks, you can keep the temperature, and your bills, low.

Here are our top tips for saving energy in the summer without working up a sweat.

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Keeping your home cool

Build a budget air-con unit

Most UK homes don’t have an air conditioner, but you can get a similar cooling effect from an electric fan with a careful setup. Place a bowl of ice in front of the fan to create a frosty breeze in the room while using much less electricity than a standard air conditioner.

Curtain cooling

Close your curtains during the hottest part of the day to insulate against the heat, then open your curtains and windows in the evening to encourage a cool breeze.

Switch off

Turning off your heating completely is one of the easiest ways to save energy in the summer. Be sure to switch off every heating device in your home – towel rails and laundry racks don’t need to be left on while the weather is hot. You can use a smart meter to spot devices that are using power unnecessarily and power them off or unplug them for the summer to help keep your energy bills low.

Easy fridge and freezer hacks

Fill them up

Your fridge and freezer are most efficient when they’re full, needing less electricity to stay cool. Fill empty spaces with plastic bottles filled with water and grab them when you head out of the house for a cold drink on the go. Not only will efficient appliances use less power, saving you electricity, but putting the motor under less strain could also extend the life of your appliance.

Adjust your freezer temperature

For food safety,  -18°C is the perfect temperature to keep your freezer at. Setting it any colder won’t make your Magnums any more refreshing, but a freezer kept at -24°C uses 25% more electricity.

Fit a fridge alarm

Leaving your fridge door open wastes electricity, and can actually heat up your home as the fridge motor is forced to work harder. A fridge alarm reminds you that you’ve left the door open so you can shut that cool back in. The less work your fridge has to do to stay cool the less energy it uses, and the lower you can keep your bills.

Hung out to dry

Sun-dried

Air-drying laundry uses less electricity than a tumble dryer and won’t heat up your home. If you have a balcony or garden then hanging the laundry outside will help it dry even faster thanks to the breeze. No garden? A hanging dryer next to an open window or door will also dry more quickly.

Dry by night

If you have to use a tumble dryer, run it in the evening. The extra heat won’t be as unpleasant as during the hottest part of the day, and if you have an ‘Economy 7’ meter your electricity will be cheaper during off-peak hours. If you’re not sure if you have an off-peak energy tariff, check your latest bill or ask your provider. If you do, you could be saving £100s on your energy bills charging devices and running energy-intensive machines at night.

Save water in the garden

Water, water everywhere

Your garden plants usually aren’t too fussy about what you water them with. Set out a butt or a bucket to collect rain, round up old drinking glasses or use a tub in the shower to collect the water you run off while you wait for it to warm up. As long as the water is free from salt, soap or cleaning chemicals you can reuse it in your garden and cut your water bills.

Shady practises

When you water your garden makes a huge difference. Choosing the evening will mean you lose less surface water to evaporation and need less water overall.

Not sure if cutting your water consumption would save you money? Read more about metered water here. Even without a water meter, you can still save on your bills by cutting back on the amount of hot water you use, as this relies on your gas or electricity to heat up.

Read more tips for saving energy and water:

• 77 ways to save energy at home
• Get £32 worth of water saving gadgets free!
• Cut your home’s carbon footprint
• 15 easy tips for saving water