Save Money by Saving Energy - We can help

Electric Ireland: David

Hi Everyone,

We’ve been going through the list of usual New Year’s Resolutions and have come up with a new one that’s fairly painless – use less energy and save more money!

At ESB Customer Supply we are committed to helping our customers get the most from their energy. For the month of January we’ll be here to give advice on how to make significant energy savings in your home; habits we hope will stick throughout 2011 and beyond. So if you're among the sudden surge of self-help seekers that emerge iron-willed at this time of year, we'd like to make your resolutions less arduous and difficult to keep, by adding some that will save rather than drain all your energy!

This month also, we’ll do what we can to alleviate those January blues with weekly competitions, with some great energy-saving prizes up for grabs.

So, if you’re confused about your immersion or don’t really know what to make of all those CFL bulbs or simply want to know how much your PS3 (or GHD hair straightener) costs to run, why not ask us….

margarite

ESB CS: David wrote: »

Hi Everyone,

We’ve been going through the list of usual New Year’s Resolutions and have come up with a new one that’s fairly painless – use less energy and save more money!

At ESB Customer Supply we are committed to helping our customers get the most from their energy. For the month of January we’ll be here to give advice on how to make significant energy savings in your home; habits we hope will stick throughout 2011 and beyond. So if you're among the sudden surge of self-help seekers that emerge iron-willed at this time of year, we'd like to make your resolutions less arduous and difficult to keep, by adding some that will save rather than drain all your energy!

This month also, we’ll do what we can to alleviate those January blues with weekly competitions, with some great energy-saving prizes up for grabs.

So, if you’re confused about your immersion or don’t really know what to make of all those CFL bulbs or simply want to know how much your PS3 (or GHD hair straightener) costs to run, why not ask us….

I have tried all the usual stuff, like cutting down on using the drier, dropping hints to the son to move out so that he can take a shower every day x 2, so on and so forth, have you any other hints for me to save on my ESB bill so that I can go on paying, and not be cut off.:)

Electric Ireland: David

Hi margarite,

I can appreciate your dilemma; sons tend to be amongst the most energy inefficient commodities that we know of here in the ESB.

At the risk of repeating some of the usual stuff you are perhaps already aware of, here are some tips that should hold good across many a household:

• Insulate your attic to a recommended thickness of 300 mm as this can reduce your heat loss by up to one third.
• Use CFL bulbs they can use 80% less electricity and can last up to 15 times longer than ordinary bulbs.
• Switch off TV's, DVD's, Hifi's etc when not is use. Do not leave them on standby mode.
• Don't fill the kettle every time you use it , just boil enough water for your needs.
• Plug in heaters should be used sparingly or for occasional use, as a 2 kw fire or heater uses 2 units per hour.
• Fit a lagging jacket to the immersion tank. They cost less than €20.00 and can result in savings of up to 30%; you could save about €2.50 per week. An immersion heater should be switched on only as required.
• Select economy cycles and lower heat settings where possible, and buy 'A Rated' kitchen appliances (A++ is the highest mark of energy efficiency).

If the foregoing advice is all too familiar, you might be interesting in going into further depth with our new Energy Saving Wizard. It will guide you through a series of questions about your house, and from the answers you provide we will offer energy saving recommendations personalised to your home. These recommendations will indicate costs, grants available and savings.

Something else that could be useful, and even eye-opening, is our online app, the Appliance Calculator. With this you can estimate how much your home electrical appliances and lights cost to run, compare the cost of using appliances in different ways (e.g. washing clothes at 40 °C versus 60 °C), and see the positive impact of using your appliances wisely (e.g. using a small ring on your stovetop versus a larger one).

I hope this helps, and if you have any more questions, please don't hesitate to ask.

Thanks,

David.

Bealguala

My favourite product on your website is the Chimney Balloon as I love my traditional fire, and this avoids heat escaping up the flue when the fire isn't in use. Simple but brilliant!

ESB CS: Chris

Hi Everyone,

There was a lot of talk about Chimney Balloons on our forum last week. They are a great way of saving money and energy by preventing heat loss up any drafty unused chimneys in your home.

For those of you who are interested, we asked Ciara O'Brien from the Irish Times to try one out. You can read her review here

Many thanks
Chris

Nutsforever

Hi,

I want to buy a new tumble dryer. The difference in a 'B' energy rated versus a 'C' energy rated is nearly €200! Will it have a big impact on future electricity savings if I go for the higher rating... enough to justify the huge difference in the initial cost of buying the higher rated one?

Thanks for any replies.

Electric Ireland: Orla

Hi nutsforever,

The more energy efficient a product is, the less it is going to cost you in the long run.

However, I would not be able to advise you which rating would be best for you. It depends on how often you would use the tumble dryer etc.

I can direct you to our appliance calculator which can inform you how much money any particular product will use over a two monthly billing period. You will need to know the power rating (in watts) of each of the tumble dryers you are looking at, in order to get an accurate comparison between the two.

Appliance calculator found here:

http://www.esb.ie/esbcustomersupply/residential-energy-services/reduce-your-costs/web-calculator.jsp

Thanks,
Orla

miwhelan

I've had just about enough of Airtricity as I can take with completely arbitrary bills & 'estimated' bills that are over €200 inaccurate and am desperate to switchr. I've been an esb customer in the past and am just wondering if there is a security deposit to switch? I'm renting a house with dual fuel. Bord Gáis charge €300 to make 'the big switch'.

EI: Una

Hi miwhelan,

A security deposit of €300 is required, but only if you do not pay by direct debit. Setting up a direct debit rules out the deposit, it also entitles the customer to a discount. Receiving statements by email (e-billing) entitles the customer to a further discount.
The statement is received by the customer two weeks before direct debit is collected.

Do let me know if you have any further queries.

Regards
Una