Generic Home 101 Hacks

  • Use task lighting; put your light where you need it most instead of brightening the whole room
  • Use fluorescent lamps instead of 20-watt lamps
  • Clean your light bulbs regularly. Dirty and greasy light bulbs can reduce the light output by around 10%

  • Install dimmers in areas like the dining room or the bedroom

  • Use table lamps rather than turning on the lights for the whole room

  • When buying ceiling lights or chandeliers, try to choose ones that do not have a large amount of lamps

  • Make sure all your house windows and doors are properly shut when air conditioning is on; this will make the air conditioners more energy-efficient

  • Replace air conditioner filters at regular intervals • Ensure air conditioners, even if they are a central system, have individual switches/controls in each room

  • Set your thermostats to 24ºC in the summer, and make sure you set it on automatic mode, so that it shuts and restarts at intervals

  • Re-use fish tank water on household plants-it also acts as a good fertilisers

  • Keep blinds and curtains closed to reflect heat away from the house. During late afternoons or early evenings, open your blinds or curtains to let light in so to minimise the need for switching on indoor lights for young children who don’t like sleeping in the dark, use a night light in the room

  • Watch TV together as a family instead of separately, it will save you energy and promote a healthy family relationship

  • Make sure you unplug your mobile phone charger when it is not in use

  • Unplug personal computers, electronic devices and chargers when they aren’t in use; most electronics use electricity even when switched off

  • When buying a monitor, consider getting an LED screen as it is 66% more energy efficient than other screen technologies.

  • Switch off your computer at night

  • Use one large multi-socket powerstrip to plug your computer, monitor, speakers, scanner, modem, and printer. Switch it off after you are done using your computer