The London Weather Station

Here are a further four tips that will help you save energy in your house (this is a follow-up article to yesterday’s “How to reduce your heating bill in the chilly London climate (or anywhere else for that matter)”)

4. You have heard this before and it is good advice: washing clothes at 30°C can save 40% more energy than washing them at 40°C.

5. Switch off and unplug all appliances that you are not currently using. According to Friends of the Earth, 85% of the energy used by a DVD player is wasted when it is on standby. Your electric gear that needs charging will still draw juice when it has fully charged up – unless you unplug it – so pay attention and unplug your mobile phone/batteries/electric toothbrushes…

6. Don't leave your fridge or freezer door open for a long time – decide what you want to eat in advance. Apparently for each minute a fridge door is left open, it takes three minutes to cool back down again. And remember to let food cool down before putting into the fridge – not alone for health reasons! Freezers also benefit from being kept in a cool room, such as a garage

7. When you are cooking, always try and match the ring size on your cooker to the size of pan it is heating – that way you'll waste less energy. If you need to simmer something for a while, most cookers have a small ring for this purpose. And don't forget that by putting a lid on saucepans the contents will heat faster and save energy.

So here you are. Seven ways for seven days of the week :)