For the last 5 years when designing new kitchens we have been including sensor lights in our pantries. Fridges have auto lights so it seemed like a natural progression to do the same in our pantries because we all know that a light that is turned off is the cheapest to run.

Children are scared of the dark and it is a fact of life, with that said, we as parents we need to have a night light and there are a large number to choose from. The ones that we should be using are of the LED type they are cheap to buy cheap to run and will probably still work when your child has grown up and left home.

While we are on the subject of children we need to start very early teaching them to be energy conscience. This can be as simple as getting them to turn things off when they have finished using them , putting on a jumper instead of a heater and turning the light of when they leave a room. Because of the world around them they seem to pick up on recycling very easily so if nothing else start there. Good luck and just try and be consistent they will be quick to catch you out if you leave a light on.

This might sound pedantic but here it is anyway, if you travel in your car to and from work then charge your phone Ipod laptop whatever while you are in your in car. The car us running anyway and it saves all those items being plugged in at home.

It's been said before but downlight covers to separate the light from your insulation and also to stop airflow are an incredibly easy way to improve the ability of your home to retain its heat or to maintain its cool. If you don't have a cover around your downlight then if not for insulation purposes just for safety get some. It is well documented the number of house fires that have been started by hot halogen downlights and insulation getting to close.

When was the last time you cleaned your airconditioner/heatpump filters, if you clean them at least once a month then well done if not then get to it. Not only will the unit work better but it will make the air coming out of it cleaner a bonus in itself. Don't forget to check the outdoor unit once and a while to make sure it's clean and clear of anything that may affect its ability to do its job. Since cleaning is on the agenda the back of the fridge is an area that often gets overlooked dust and fluff can really affect how hard the fridge has to work to do its job. While you have the fridge out from the wall read the manufacturers specs on the distance you need to have behind the fridge to let it work properly.

Just a quick aside here pick a date maybe a birthday or an anniversary to check the batteries in you smoke detector and do it.

Energy efficient cooking - THERMO COOKING
Using thermo cooking systems such as THE DREAM POT where you only use energy for a short period of time and then the dream pot uses stored heat to finish the cooking process is an extremely efficient way of cooking not only does it use minimal energy but because of the slow cooking method you can use cheaper cuts of meat that if cooked traditionally may end up being quite tough. The dream pot does an amazing job of making tough cuts melt in your mouth and the dream pot will cook your vegetables as well so your entire meal is ready for you when you get home from work or where ever.