We’re all aware of how to save energy around the home and what we need to be doing to lead an eco-friendlier lifestyle during our waking hours, but come bedtime, we don’t really give much thought to how we can continue to protect the environment and save household energy whilst soundly asleep. And now, with the recent news about the huge hike in gas and electric bills that will affect millions of households, making small changes to how you use energy around your home, during the day and night, means more money in your bank account.
From choosing eco-friendly bedding to making sure the central heating is switched off throughout the night, there’s actually some simple ways that you can protect the planet and save energy as you sleep.
Choose eco-friendly bedding
When shopping for a new duvet and pillows, many of us don’t think to look for bedding that’s been made in an environmentally-friendly way from sustainable materials. Choosing an eco-friendly duvet and pillows is an easy way in which you can help save the planet as you sleep.
We’re all well aware of the fact that our oceans are full of nasty plastics causing untold damage to marine life – we’ve all seen those hard-hitting scenes from BBC’s Blue Planet II, and if that doesn’t shock you enough to take action, then what will? By choosing eco-friendly bedding, such as the Silentnight bed collection, you can help reduce the amount of plastic that enters into our oceans and landfill sites. The Eco Comfort bedding collection is made from 100% recyclable plastic bottles and features sustainable fibres that are clean and breathable, allowing you to enjoy a refreshing night’s sleep.
Every Eco Comfort duvet and Eco Comfort mattress topper that’s made, each prevents at least 30 plastic bottles from going into landfill or the ocean, whilst for every Eco Comfort pillow, it’s around 17. And if that’s not impressive enough, the fully recyclable Silentnight mattresses have so far prevented 105 million plastic bottles from entering the ocean. So, you really will be doing your part to protect our precious oceans and marine life as you sleep and all with a minimum of effort too.
Switch off the central heating
Leaving the central heating on overnight, especially during the cold winter months, may sound like a good way to keep warm and snug, but it can actually make for a restless night and of course lead to higher energy bills too.
The best thing that you can do to ensure a good night’s sleep, is to let your bedroom cool down before going to bed. A cooler bedroom actually encourages your body to drop to the core temperature that’s needed for a restful and comfortable sleep. In fact, 19C is the perfect room temperature for the best night’s sleep.
A bedroom that’s hotter is more disruptive to sleep and the artificial heat from leaving the central heating on all night long can leave you dehydrated – there’s nothing worse than waking up with a dry mouth and feeling thirsty! So, by switching off the central heating before going to bed, not only will you enjoy a more comfortable and peaceful night’s sleep, you will save energy and money on your gas bills too.
Unplug Devices
A simple, yet effective way to save energy during the night when you’re fast asleep, is to make sure electrical equipment, such as TVs, laptops, chargers and games consoles, is not left on stand-by. It’s a good idea to just unplug these devices, as they draw power when plugged in, even though they aren’t in use – this is what’s known as ‘vampire power’.
According to the Energy Saving Trust, it’s estimated that a typical household waste approximately 128.56 AED each year by leaving electrical items plugged in or on standby.
So, before you head up to bed each night, try to get into the habit and make it a part of your nighttime routine to quickly check around your home and unplug those power draining devices. Over time, this small change really can make all the difference to your energy usage.
By following our useful tips and advice, you can sleep easy knowing you’re doing all you can to help save the planet and reduce energy usage too.