The weather is starting to get cooler and my husband and I begin our annual ‘Battle of the Boiler’ where I try and turn the heating on and he throws me an extra jumper!

In all seriousness though, we are both trying to do more to ensure that we are more energy efficient at home. These are some of the tips I have picked up to make small changes that will hopefully add up to a big difference.

Don’t boil the kettle for every single cup

I drink a lot of tea, especially when I’m working from home, and my top tip is to make a pot and keep it covered with a cosy so that you are not boiling the kettle for every single cup. You can do the same for coffee and also invest in a decent thermos to keep it hot for hours.

Use draught excluders on all your external doors. You can even make your own very simply with some fabric and filling, and basic sewing skills.

Make sure any gaps around windows and doors are filled, especially in older houses.

Put on the extra jumper. It’s the advice my husband gives that irritates me so much, but it is actually very good. Often I sit and moan about feeling cold and I’m only wearing a t-shirt!

Invest in warm pyjamas and slippers

Add an extra blanket to your bed. This is something that I do a lot in winter, and also invest in some warm pyjamas and slippers.

Wool duvets. My husband and I have always had issues as he is too warm and I am too cold. Last time we were duvet shopping, we were looking at all the different options and stumbled upon wool duvets and it’s been brilliant for both of us. It is somehow self-regulating and we can both sleep comfortably under it.

Don’t put the oven on for longer than needed. Get to know roughly how long yours takes to get up to temperature so you don’t have it on for hours unnecessarily.

Shower instead of bath. We all prefer showers over baths generally and just have baths as a special treat. When the children were younger and had more baths, I used to bathe them together and sometimes with me too. Not the most relaxing experience but it certainly saved water!

Research and evolve with eco awareness

Those are a few of my top tips and I’m always searching for more. I think that we can constantly research and evolve with our eco awareness and I’m always striving to do better. I don’t always manage it but if we all try, we can make small changes that will hopefully make a big difference.

For more from Louise, visit her blog here: Pink Pear Bear