10 Ways to reduce your Household Bills

As the economic doom and gloom sweeps Ireland everyone is tightening their purse strings.

To help combat those dreaded monthly household bills we thought we would help you out by posting some top easy day to day tips to help keep some euro in your pocket.

1. Check all your doors and windows for sneaky draughts ... - the biggest culprit of wasted heat.
2. May seem silly but change your light blubs! Invest in some Low energy bulbs as they last up to 15 times longer than a normal light bulb and provide the same lighting for a quarter of the running cost.
3. It sounds ridiculous but if a room is not occupied then the light should be off. This sounds easy, but how often do we leave a room thinking we'll be back in a minute and then completely forget that we left the light on.
4. This also sounds like common sense but is easily forgotten -unplug all electrical devices not being used. Many appliances, especially PC"s, TV"s and mobile phone chargers use up power on stand by.
5. Place heavy furniture like bookshelves, and sofas against exterior walls to help block off cold air
6. When cooking use lids on pots and pans to reduce cooking times. For example never boil water in an uncovered pan as it boils faster and use less energy in a covered pan.
7. Wash your dishes rather than use a dishwasher.
8. Hand your clothes on a clothes line or buy a clothes horse if you live in an apartment. If you are urban living and are not allowed place your laundry on the balcony , buy some pegs to pin your clothes to the clothes horse and leave out early in the morning or late in the evening.