After seeing their energy bills more than double over the past year, a family of six from Bromley, South East London, have managed to save around £2,000 over the year by enforcing their own energy saving challenges at home. The initiative has not only managed to help them nearly halve their overall consumption, but it has also brought them “closer together” as a family.
After seeing their energy bills soar from £200 a month to £450, Emmanuel Asuquo, 37, who lives with his partner, Mariam, 38, and their four children, Malachi, 10, Ethan, nine, Elle, seven, and Mia-Rae, three, have been enforcing their own “blackout hour” every day, when they switch all appliances off to read and do homework instead.
Among a number of energy saving techniques the family have been carrying out, Mr Asuquo says they’ve been trying to do things together instead of individually in different rooms, such as watching TV together and eating at the same time to avoid incurring additional energy costs.
Mr Asuquo said: “After dinner every night we have blackout hour. We turn all appliances off and read or do homework.”
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Referencing Money Saving Expert Martin Lewis’ recent energy saving tips amid National Grid’s Demand Flexibility Service events last week, Mr Asuquo said: “I completely agree with Martin Lewis’ advice to try not to wash between the hours of 4pm and 7pm as they are the peak times for demand and it’s putting a strain on the energy grid. You just have to ask yourself, ‘Do I really need to wash my clothes at this time?’”
“If not, perhaps you could wash them overnight or in the morning to reduce the likelihood of a power cut.”
The family have also made some additional recreational swaps to help save money too, such as organising home movie nights instead of cinema trips and making the most of free outdoor activities such as walking.
In September 2022, Mr Asuquo paid £600 for draught-proofing and having his boiler serviced, to make his home more energy efficient.
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Mr Asuquo continued: “It’s not about how much you spend, it’s about how much time you spend with them. It’s a really hard time and don’t put too much pressure on yourself. Everybody can do their small part to make a difference.”
Mr Asuquo’s top tips to save money on energy bills:
- Get a smart meter
- Put the heating on a timer
- Spend time doing things together in one room rather than using appliances all over the house
- Try not to wash clothes between 4pm and 7pm
- Have a ‘blackout’ hour every evening
- Draught-proof the home
- Have the boiler serviced
- Reward children with a chart for saving energy
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