We haven’t quite imbodied our inner Greta Thunberg, although whether you are passionate about the climate or not, these tips are both good for the environment and good for keeping more of your money in your pocket.
 
In this 5-minute read, we are going to cover some tips on how you can save energy and money and some interesting facts along the way! 
 
We get to hear so much now on what is energy efficient and what isn’t energy efficient. Some of these things you may have heard before and this might just be the reminder you need when you are at the shops tomorrow (or to make you write out a list, to give to someone). 
 
So, why on earth are we talking about being energy efficient?  
Coaches for many years have been seen as a pollutant, however, times have changed, and coaches are now one of the most eco-friendly ways to travel. This doesn’t mean we get to preach to the choir, although, we have found that along with coaches becoming better for the environment, there have been a reduction in cost, coaches are doing far better with fuel than earlier models.
 
Which brings us on to you, our customers, our coaches won’t go anywhere without you on board. We know times are hard for some, we are feeling it too on an individual level, so we wanted to share some tips that might save you some money along the way! 
 
Lights 
LED lighting is currently the most efficient form of lighting. This comes in various forms and most of us now have swapped over to it. Not only does this reduce your energy costs, because they don’t produce and waste heat like traditional lighting. They can last up to 25x longer than incandescent bulbs. 
 
Some facts on LED’s; 
 
- If you turned on a traditional LED light and left it on, it would take at least 3 years to burn out. 
- The New Year’s Eve ball that drops in Times Square each year is made up of 32,256 individual LED lights. 
- If you installed a LED light in a new born baby’s room, that same LED bulb would last on average 20 years, which would mean by the time that bulb needed changing that child would be in university.
 
Showers  
Installing low flow shower heads can make a difference on the amount of water you use. Of course, we won’t run out of water, it can reduce the amount of water you are heating through a combi-boiler or taking from the tank on an emersion system. You can get the same for taps, but we aren’t going to get the plumber out just yet.
 
While it may seem like an obvious benefit, switching to a low-flow showerhead can save a surprisingly large amount of water. In fact, each person can conserve up to 68,000 litres of water per year. For a family of four, this means a potential savings of nearly 273,000 litres annually. 
 
Natural Cleaning Products 
There are many home-made recipes to make cleaning products at home, that are better for the environment, in reusable bottles and can be a little fun along the way – As we become self-appointed scientists.
 
We have spent a couple of years being aware of how clean we should be to stop spreading of germs and infections, the interesting thing about this is that most cleaning products can be made with things that are already in our cupboard. We know it is always easier to pick up a bottle of Flash from the supermarket whilst we are there (I say this as I walk past a bottle of Flash in the office).
 
There is a great separate blog on this with some recipes if you are interested - click here
 
Reducing the Washing Machine Temperature 
I know I am going out on a limb here, but let’s be honest the 30 settings on modern washing machines and they can be a nightmare to navigate, therefore most of us only use 2/3 depending on what we are washing. A lot of detergents are starting to advertise that you can wash on much colder washes and the savings are huge. Reducing from 40 degrees to 20, can have an enormous impact, it will reduce your running costs by 66%.
 
Did you know, heating water for laundry can account for up to 90% of the energy used by your washing machine! 
 
In addition, washing your clothes at lower temperatures/allows you to take better care of the fabric. You're going to love this – your clothes will actually look good for longer. Not only do clothes retain their colour for longer when washed at lower temperatures, but there is also less wear of the textile. 
 
Become Carbon Zero 
Now, of course we have found a fool proof way to reduce your outgoings at home for either a week or a day. When you are on holiday your costs can drop significantly on your heating bill… We are being a bit tongue in cheek of course. Although we should mention Hotels, as they are now finding ways to reduce the costs and their environmental impact.
 
Hopefully you have found this helpful, we want to ensure that our clients have something interesting to read, but if we can bring attention to some money saving tips whilst also benefiting the environment, we will find a way to do so.