It’s the most wonderful time of the year, which means the house will be thriving with friends, family, food and fun! However, your customers may find themselves with some pretty hefty energy bills when celebrations have come to an end. If you have any house calls this Christmas, or you like to keep in touch with your customers throughout the year, why not pass on these words of wisdom? It will help them save money on energy bills and ensure you continue to provide an amazing service.
Stay toasty and warm…the smart way!
Keeping warm over the Christmas period doesn’t always mean turning up the thermostat. You can actually save around 3 per cent on your heating bill for every degree you turn down. This can save money on energy bills, particularly during this time of the year.
To keep warm, close the curtains in the evening to retain heat, layer up and consider fitting reflectors behind your radiators. These can bounce 95 per cent of the heat back into the room, ensuring you stay toasty and warm without turning the thermostat up high.
Position is everything
It’s important that you don’t block your radiators with decorations as they will stop the heat from spreading throughout the room. Leave enough space for the heat to make its way around the room so it can warm up quickly.
Turn the heating down when you’re cooking
While cooking, the heating doesn’t need to play a role. Heat spreads fast when cooking dinner, so let this keep you warm instead.
Utilise the oven
It helps to cook numerous things at the same time to get the most from your oven. Consider using a large baking tray and adding certain ingredients to a single pan, such as veg in one and meat/main and potatoes in the other; this will also add flavour to your roasties!
Lights
Fairy lights make Christmas sparkly and delightful, but this doesn’t mean you can’t save energy on your lighting elsewhere. Replacing traditional bulbs with energy-saving alternatives is sure to help save money on energy bills over the winter months.
Swap electronic devices for board games
Instead of jumping on your new gaming console after stuffing your face, bring the family together with a good old-fashioned board game. Leave electronics for a time when you’re not surrounded by family and save energy with a device-free activity such as Monopoly or Articulate.
Switch off
After you have ended the day with a Christmas movie, it can be quite tempting to hit standby and head to bed. However, it would be wise to switch off devices and appliances properly to ensure nothing is running throughout the night. Items such as TVs and DVD players can use up a significant amount of energy when on standby, so make sure you switch these off at the wall before heading upstairs.
Don’t leave the electronics on charge
It is far too easy to forget about your charging devices but leaving them plugged in at 100 per cent still drives up your energy usage and bills. What’s more, it isn’t good for the device to leave it plugged in when it isn’t necessary. Be sure to keep an eye on your devices and unplug them as soon as they’re fully charged and you can save money on energy bills.
Give your customers the gift of savings this Christmas, with qualifications and knowledge from ECTA
Of course, you cannot offer this festive electrical advice if you do not have the necessary qualifications and knowledge that comes with the job. This is why ECTA has a wonderful range of courses designed to help you with the next steps in your career. Check out our available courses or get in touch to find out more.