8 tips to save energy (and money!) in the winter

Shut the shades. Keeping your curtains closed can reduce heat loss by up to 25 per cent.

Don’t let heat escape out your chimney. An open fireplace damper loses as much energy as a wide-open 48 x 48 window. Unless you have a fire going, keep the damper closed.

Caulk tiny leaks around windows and doors. The average cottage has enough cracks and crevices to amount to a basketball-sized hole in the wall. That’s a lot of lost heat!

Buy a faucet aerator for your bathroom tap; you’ll use less hot water. Choose one that delivers 3 to 5.7 litres of water per minute.

“Bleed” the air from radiators at least once a year. This allows them to fill fully with water and function more efficiently.

Don’t overfill your fridge. Leave about 20 per cent of open space. If the fridge is crammed full, the motor has to work harder to circulate the cold air. The fridge will suck more energy. (Plus, forcing the motor to work hard makes it more prone to failure.)

When you’re using the clothes dryer, dry lightweight items with other lightweight items, and heavy items with other heavy items. The clothes will dry faster and more evenly. Got several loads? Dry them consecutively. The dryer will work more efficiently because it doesn’t have to warm up between loads.

The microwave is your friend! Microwaves use 80 per cent less energy than conventional ovens. You can use them in more ways than you think you can: cook eggs, toast nuts, even bake cookies. It’s faster too. ’Cause who wants to wait for cookies?