Let’s tackle those energy bills! We’re all worried about them, I know. So, let’s see if there are a few simple energy saving things we can do as the nights draw in. And there might just be a touch of sheepiness involved. Here’s our top 10 money saving excuses to buy sheepskin this winter.
Idea Number 1: Relax Fireside
1. Relax fireside
If you have a log fire, and a ready supply of wood, use it as often as you can instead of the radiators. Log fires give a soothing glow that lifts the spirits. There’s nothing better than energy saving with story-telling and reminiscing beside flickering flames. If you don’t use your open fire, block it up to stop draughts. Obviously you’ll need a fireside sheepskin rug otherwise what’s the point?
Idea number 2: Trap Them
One simple energy saving trick is to keep all the internal doors closed, trapping the warmth in each room. This is even more effective if you use a draught excluder to stop any chilly air from seeping in under the door. You could also consider drawing the curtains or blinds as this will keep out draughts. Our sheepskin draught excl-ewe-ders are stuffed with sheepskin trimmings which are completely draft busting!
Idea number 3: More Tea Less Power
When you boil the kettle to make a cup of tea or coffee, only put into the kettle the quantity of water you actually need. Boiling water uses a lot of energy, so don’t overfill the kettle. For more energy saving, when you’re boiling the kettle, fill up a Thermos flask too, so your next cuppa can come from the flask instead of the kettle. Don’t forget to keep your sheepskin hot water bottle close to the kettle to capture all that lovely waste hot water.
Idea number 4: Switch Off
When appliances are not in use, e.g., the radio, the kettle, turn them off at the plug and unplug them. Energy continues to flow into appliances when they’re plugged in – and that’s wasted energy. Make certain your computer and TV are switched off completely too, and not on standby. Also, consider changing your light bulbs to energy-efficient bulbs or LED lighting. In a typical energy bill, lighting accounts for 15%! Of course by the time you’ve searched the house for every last little blinking stand by twinkle you’ll be totally exhausted so you’ll need to sit down and pop your feet up on a Baa Stool Footstool.
Tip number 5 – Stock Up
Empty fridges use more power than full fridges. So, it’s worth stocking up and using your fridge to capacity. Energy saving with more food – now this sounds good. Try to do a weekly shop instead of lots of little bits of shopping. This will also save petrol if you’re going by car! After emptying your boot of the entire contents of Tesco’s chilled section you’ll probably need to recover and a Bear Chair.
Tip number 6 – Slow Cook
I recently read online that using an electric oven is extremely costly – like ten times more costly than using a microwave! Switching on the hobs or rings is okay, but actually turning on the oven is expensive. Enter… the microwave, air fryer or slow cooker. Air fryers and slow cookers are roughly a sixth of the cost of using an oven. I will definitely be using my slow cooker this winter; stews will be on the menu! How about a Woolly Ewe Tea Towel to make the washing up more appealing.
Tip number 7 – Batch It
If you don’t have a microwave, air fryer or slow cooker, cook food in bulk. If you’re making a pie or a cake, for example, prepare two or three at once and cook them at the same time. This will save electricity or gas. Protect your clothes from splashes and cut down on washing powder by using a Woolly Ewe apron while you batch cook.
Tip number 8 – Layer Up
Wearing plenty of clothes – particularly layering up – is a great way to keep warm. Turn the heating down and add another layer. Warm socks make a huge difference to our body temperature, as does a woolly hat. You could also put a warm blanket or throw over your legs or around your shoulders for extra heat. Just looking at sheepskin makes us feel warmer so hug a sheepskin cushion – you can even slip a hot water bottle inside for extra cosiness.
Tip number 9 – Baths, Yes Please
It’s interesting to note that some power showers use more water than if you were running a bath – so turn down the pressure a little, and be as quick as you can in the shower. Heating water for a shower takes a lot of energy.
Tip number 10 – Wash Old School
Here’s the final of our 10 money saving excuses to buy sheepskin this winter. When it comes to the laundry, fill up the washing machine rather than half-filling it. Just like showers, washing machines use most of their power on heating the water, so turn down the temperature a little. The clothes will still wash well. And, when it comes to drying the clothes, adding our dryer balls to your tumble dryer drum during a cycle, is the best way to bring down your energy usage AND have fresh, dry washing. These little balls will help to separate your clothes, increasing their exposure to airflow, therefore reducing their overall drying time and the length of time your dryer needs to run for, saving you money!
