Stockton-on-Tees Borough Council

What can you do to help?

What can you do to help?

Energy Use Reporting

If you go past any of our offices out of office hours and you notice lighting has been left on, please let us know.

E-Mail technicalservices@stockton.gov.uk making sure you put Carbon Management in the subject box. Don't forget to tell us which building you are reporting and where possible which floor.

20 Simple energy saving measure which could save you money and CO ₂ emissions

1. Turning lights on and off does NOT use more electricity than just leaving them on. Please turn off lights when you leave a room, even if it is just for a couple minutes.
2. Consider switching to energy saving light bulbs, they do cost a bit more, but they really can save you money in the long run.
3. If you can turn down your thermostat by one degree Celsius you could save up to 10% on heating bills each year.
4. A dripping hot water tap in one week wastes enough hot water to fill half a bath, so fix leaking taps and make sure they're fully turned off.
5. Washing clothes at 30°C can save 40% more energy than washing at 40°C.
6. As we all know, heat rises, so make sure that loft is well insulated or you'll be literally pouring money through the roof!
7. Switch off and unplug all appliances that aren't being used. According to Friends of the Earth, 85% of the energy used by a DVD player is wasted when it is on standby.
8. Don't spend ages pondering the contents of the fridge with the door wide open, each minute a fridge door is left open takes three minutes to cool back down again.
9. Try and match the ring size on your cooker to the size of pan it is heating - you'll waste less energy.
10. Don't drive somewhere, which you could safely walk in 10 minutes.
11. If you can switch to having a shower instead of a bath, you could save about 40 litres of water each time - that's a lot of hot water.
12. When boiling a kettle only boil as much water as you need.
13. There can be major savings to be made by switching gas and electricity supplier if you haven't done so for a while.
14. Allow cooked food to cool before you put it into the fridge/freezer.
15. When possible cook small items in the grill rather than in the oven.
16. Turn heating down rather than opening a window.
17. Always run your dishwasher with a full load whenever possible.
18. Do not over dry clothes in the tumble dryer, it saves energy and makes clothes easier to iron.
19. Make sure light fittings are kept clean and bright.
20. Kettles are more efficient than pans for heating water.