How are you planning to keep energy costs low after the recent energy hikes?

[Jenny]

Hello everyone!

As you know, we’ve seen a significant increase in wholesale energy costs, which has led to higher energy tariffs and bills for everybody. I thought I’d share a few of my own energy-saving tips with you.

Like my Dad used to say, switch those lights off if you’re not using them!  

It’s easy to leave a light on when you leave a room, but you’re saving a little money every time you remember to switch them off.  Once you’ve nailed the habit of switching lights off, you could even look at more energy efficient lighting, e.g. LED bulbs, or my favourite, fairy lights!  Lighting makes up 11% of your average electricity consumption, so it’s worth making some changes.

Wash your clothes at a lower temperature wherever you can.

While it’s understandable that you might need to wash bed linen and towels at a higher temperature, you might like to consider where you can use the washing machine at a lower temperature, as this will save you on the money it takes to heat the water up.  Many machines also have an “eco” mode which helps conserve water.  You can then top off all that good feeling about saving money and water, by using lovely eco-friendly detergent for your laundry.

Stop using the tumble dryer and get your laundry out on the washing line.  

As soon as the sun comes out, you can save money by popping your clean laundry out on the washing line.  If you don’t have access to a washing line, you might have a clothes airer, or even an old fashioned pulley which is also a great space saver. There’s nothing nicer than line-dried fresh sheets for you, or for your guests!

Ditch the bath, have a shower!

Having a bath is considered luxurious by many, but if you’re willing to switch to showers, you can save money and water if you can keep your showers fairly short. You might also think about replacing your traditional shower head with a water saving shower head, especially if you have a rental, and therefore don’t have control over how long your guests take in the shower.

Turn appliances off at the plug when they’re not in use.

Some appliances can be real energy guzzlers even when they’re not in use. Get into the habit of turning appliances off at the plug regularly, for example when you’re going to bed, or when you’re doing changeover at your property.

Turn your thermostat down by one degree.

Almost half the money you spend on your energy bills is spent on heating and hot water costs. By turning down your thermostat even by one degree, you’ll save money, and you might even find you didn’t need to have it that high in the first place!

I’m curious to know how you’re planning to keep your energy costs reasonable during this time, and about how you can encourage your guests to do the same.

Please share your thoughts in the comments!

[Debra300]

@Huma0,

St. Lucia uses the British electrical code.  I believe the keyed switch can work for your intended purposes.  They are easy to install, and if you hire an electrician it should take less than an hour to do both switches if they're being installed along the appliances power cable/lead.  We purchased our switches in Martinique, but online I have seen them available in both the UK and US.  Be sure to purchase the type that powers off when the key is removed.  There is another type that leaves the power on when the key is removed.

@Jenny, @I forgot to mention in my original post that we have dual paned/double glazed windows and exterior doors throughout the guesthouse.

[Erik1683]

We run an Apartment which is basically a self-contained unit within our own home, heated by one high-efficiency c/h gas-fired boiler. The thermostat is controlled by us, remotely, via an App on our mobile., and set at 19.5C for the kitchen/ground-floor siting room; which makes it approx 21C in the upstairs bedrooms. We think that is just fine.

As we control the Thermostat, guests cannot turn up the heating even if they tried. 

This sometimes results in requests to 'turn up the heat, please' which then also makes our own private house too warm. 

The low-tech solution is that we provide small stand-by electric radiators in each room so guests can warm their own space a bit more if they feel they need to. However, these little radiators run at 1.5Kwh so therefore the COST to us is 1.5 x 28p/Kwh x 24 hours = £10 PER DAY (assuming they are on for 24 hours) or a proportion of that if the required temperature is reached and the individual thermostats on these radiators kicks in and stops the energy consumption. While in the past we would have accepted some guest use these radiators and accepted the extra costs to us, we now feel we should CHARGE and extra fee for providing these radiators, of say £5/day 'rent'. 

MY QUESTION is: Do you find it acceptable to charge EXTRA for providing EXTRA heat? Debate please, thank you.

[Kitty-and-Creek0]

@Erik1683 

I cannot imagine charging guests for heat, A/C or any other necessity. It is a cost of doing business. Also, it is my opinion that it is the guest's job to control their temperature/comfort levels, not mine. Our guests have complete control of heating and A/C, as they do in their own homes.  Everyone is different, and for me, hospitality includes providing whatever the guest needs of heating and cooling, including augmentation as needed. In addition to a sophisticated gas heater and a mini split for cooling, we have electric mini heater in the bathroom, and those wonderful electric oil heaters for cold snaps. As we are getting older we find we use them ourselves, in addition to piling on the layers of clothes and quilts in winter. We are tough, but not that tough anymore.