Hello ladies and gentlemen and thanks for tuning in to action radio where we discuss current affairs and global issues. My name is Jill and today I’ll be discussing the very relevant issue of the importance of saving water and how you can do this at home. The most common type of wasted energy in the domestic environment is heat. However, since the walls of my home are very well insulated I am lucky to have no issue with this. I’ve discovered however that I waste a lot of water as a result of my lifestyle. I’ve researched _Q11 ways to minimize my water usage online and have been pleasantly surprised to find that there are specialists in the area who can make some changes to my home immediately. The only downside is that the works are quite expensive and there are no means of getting financial assistance.

Now if any of you listeners are interested in reducing your energy usage here are a couple of easy and positive changes you can make immediately. A lot of the magazines will recommend that you change your bulbs for those with energy saving capabilities. However, I have found that these make little difference to your electricity bills and they also severely reduce the light levels in your home. Instead simply _Q12 switch off all plug sockets and appliances to make an immediate saving on your electricity consumption. If this doesn’t make enough of a saving for you, you could later try turning down the thermostat as well. Despite the discount that my energy provider gave me for prompt payment my monthly bills were very expensive for the amount of energy that I was using. So I decided to change providers not only did I make a huge monthly saving but the company also offered me other perks. I am now able to _Q13 pay my monthly bills online for example which I am thrilled about because it means that I no longer have to drive to the bank.

Once I have been a customer with them for a year _Q15 they will also offer a deduction for all of the energy-saving appliances I use. Now many of you will have an electricity meter at home so I’m sure you’ll all understand the issues associated with them. They occupy a lot of space in your home and can be unsightly if you’re unable to tuck them away in a cupboard. Mine is quite large as it measures both my gas and electricity. But I was luckily able to hide it in the coat cupboard where I can keep it hidden but also access it easily. Having said that whenever I have to take a meter reading _Q14 I have to use a torch because the screen is too dark to read the numbers correctly. I have recently had an extension built on my house to make room for a new bathroom complete with a low energy boiler, so I can take long showers guilt-free. The walls are nice and thick and well insulated but unfortunately, the window is a little drafty so I’m going to have to invest in upgrading it.

Speaking of renewable energy I initially considered installing solar panels on the roof instead of using a low energy boiler. Which was the less expensive option in the end. I decided that the panels would _Q16 look too ugly on my house despite that they were technically easy to operate.

Now if you’re a fan of taking long showers like I am, then switching from baths to showers will not help to reduce your water usage. Instead here are some small but effective changes you can make. When making a cup of tea for example _Q17 measure out the amount of water that you need before boiling it, and when brushing your teeth use a cup of water instead of a running tap. I tried filling up my washing machine before switching it on but, I found that the clothes were not thoroughly cleaned so I would not recommend this. _Q18 If your tap drips when it is turned off then you should call a plumber to fix it, as this can result in a lot of water being wasted.

Before finishing today’s show I’d like to address two questions that we often get asked by listeners. We had some great feedback about our answer to last week’s question on how to calculate the price involved in powering domestic appliances. So let’s see how we do this week, one of our most commonly asked questions this week was which device is the lowest energy option for watching films. The simplest answer is that _Q19 the smaller the screen the lower the energy used. One of our listeners wrote in with a question that made me chuckle and the answer is yes solar panels only work when the sun is out. Now on a more serious note a number of you wanted to know what the most efficient _Q20 temperature is to set the thermostat to the answer is that the closer you set it to room temperature the lower the energy used.

Before I say goodbye until next week, I’ll leave you with one last tip, turn off the lights when you leave the room.