We all do it, on January 1^st as the haze begins to clear and the cleaning up from the night before commences, New Year resolutions are made – whether it’s swearing to get fit by joining a gym, kicking a vice or taking up a hobby.

But, to flip things on their head we’ve decided to share our top 17 New Year resolutions for the home we think you should make – especially as they can help you save money.

Reduce Your Carbon Footprint:

• Switch to LED bulbs – we’ve previously discussed in our post “5 Reasons You Should Switch to LED Bulbs” the benefit of switching to LED bulbs – and if you haven’t already done so, the New Year is the perfect time to.

  Not only can you save thousands of pounds during the lifespan of the bulb, but there’s also set to be an EU ban on halogen bulbs meaning sooner or later we’ll all need to switch to LED bulbs anyway.

• Fix your leaking taps. They may seem like only a small drip at the moment, but it could be costing you a considerable amount. It is estimated leaking taps lose enough water to fill up a paddling pool every week during the summer – now think about how much this will be costing.
• Be shower savvy and save a considerable amount each year. As discussed in our post “40 Tips to Help You Save Money and Reduce Energy Consumption” the average UK family wastes over £400 a year showering.

  Reduce your costs by cutting down the amount of time you spend in the shower (3 minutes is plenty), turn down the pressure on the high-pressure shower and consider introducing an energy-efficient faucet.

• Switch off standby. You’ll be surprised how much it costs to leave your TV, games console and alike on standby – yet many of us continue to do it. Take those extra few seconds to turn your appliances off standby and save at least £35 a year.
• Turn your heating down by 1⁰C and save as much as £75 a year. Not only will this save you money, but chances are you won’t even feel the difference in your heating.

Make Your Home Safe & Sound:

• Carbon monoxide is known as the silent killer, as we discuss in detail in our post “How to Protect Your Family from Carbon Monoxide Poisoning”. Protect your family from falling victim to it, by fitting carbon monoxide detectors in every room with a gas appliance.

  You should also make sure your gas appliances, including your boiler, are serviced on an annual basis to ensure they continue to work at their peak performance and are safe to use.

• Properties without smoke alarms accounted for 38% of deaths following fires in the home between April 2013 & March 2014. Make sure your family don’t become another statistic, fit smoke alarms in your property and test these regularly to ensure they continue to work.
• Deter burglars by fitting outside security lights to your home which come on as motion is detected. We would also recommend fitting dummy CCTV cameras to your home too, as these can be the perfect deterrent for any wannabe criminals.

Clean Up Your Act:

• The idea of a cleaning rota may sound great in principal, but then life gets in the way and things get missed. So instead of making a cleaning rota for the home, make the cleaning process easier by turning to steam. We explain in “Cleaning Made Easy with a Steam Cleaner” how using steam to clean can make the job easier and quicker.
• Clean your windows every few months, allow the sunshine to come through and enjoy the beautiful sights around your home without streaks, by using a window vacuum. Along with streak free windows, such an appliance also makes cleaning your windows quicker and easier.
• Cut the cost of cleaning, by not purchasing the different cleaning products which are available. Whilst they may offer to do X, Y and Z they are also costly, particularly when you consider various food items can be used for cleaning around the home – as explained in “How to Clean Your Home…Using Food”.
• You shouldn’t limit your cleaning just to your floors and windows. Your appliances also need to be cleaned regularly to keep them working at their peak performance, to keep unpleasant odours at bay and to reduce the risk of faults developing.

  Cleaning your appliances, such as the cooker, is relatively easy, as explained in the video below.

Cut Costs…Save Money:

• A broken appliance never comes at a good time, but it doesn’t mean you need to go and purchase a new one. Instead, use the advice outlined in our YouTube videos and the spare parts available from us to fix the fault yourself – for a fraction of the cost of a new appliance.
• Draught-proof your home, from fitting keyhole covers and letterbox casing, to heavy or thermal curtains, all of which will help to keep the heat in and the cold out – meaning you can have your heating on less.
• Get free loft insulation, helping you to keep more heat in your home. Getting loft insulation can help you save as much as £250 on your energy bills.
• If you’re using a tumble dryer to dry your laundry, increase its effectiveness by 25% by adding tumble dryer balls. These not only reduce the drying time by 25% but they also reduce creases and wrinkles whilst cutting down on lint and fluff.
• Consider switching energy suppliers – you’ll be surprised how much this has the potential to save you. According to USwitch, by switching energy suppliers you could save as much as £500 a year.

Whether you opt to follow some of these New Year resolutions or you stick to your own – at eSpares, we’d like to take this opportunity to wish you a very Happy New Year, and we look forward to helping you repair, maintain and care for your appliances over the next 12 months and beyond.

Tags: Home Improvements, Money Saving, New Year Resolutions