The 20th century brought new technologies to do things faster or more powerfully — but they all use energy. Take a gentler pace so you don’t waste energy …
Showers Use the central heating system to deliver hot water to the shower — it heats water more efficiently than an electric shower. If the hot water cylinder is higher than the shower or the hot water only has to travel a short way from a combi boiler, you shouldn’t need to wire in an electric shower. If you need a pumped shower, choose a low flow shower head.
Dishwashing Some dishwashers can be plumbed into the hot water supply — check the manual for your model. Dishwashers use about 30 litres of water — if you wash dishes carefully by hand you may use as little as 7.5 litres.
Drying washing Dedicate an indoor space to dry washing naturally without a tumble drier, but with mechanical ventilation that is switched on automatically by a humidistat to stop condensation and mould growth.
You can save water and energy if you take a shower instead of a bath – but a power shower can use as much water as a bath in just a few minutes!
If you have a garden or yard, fix up a line or rotary drier to dry washing out of doors.
