As well as making your house feel shiny and new, a thorough spring clean helps conserve energy in your home. How? Dirt and dust can clog appliances so they don't work as efficiently as they could.

Spring clean your appliances

If dust and dirt build up in your appliances, they may have to work harder and use more power to do the same job, which can be costly.

Add the following to your spring clean checklist to make your home more energy efficient:

• Radiators
  Dust and vacuum around your radiators - any dust on the columns will prevent the heat from flowing freely. Avoid drying clothes on them as this increases the dust levels. Instead put the clothes on a drying rack near a radiator.

• Filters
  Filters in washing machines and dryers can clog up after just a handful of cycles and if they're full of dust they won't be efficient. Also clean the inside of the screens in both machines regularly to remove fluff and dust.

• Fridge
  Vacuum the coils at the back of your fridge - it prevents the accumulation of dust and grime. Dirty coils mean the fridge has to work harder.

• Cooker
  Clean the hob so that the rings can heat up as efficiently as possible

Give all your light bulbs clean.

A layer of dust will dim their brightness, so if you have dimmable lights, make sure to dust them so you don't have to turn the dimmer switch up higher than you need to.

Turn lights off when you're not using them.

If you switch a light off for just a few seconds, you will save more energy than it takes for the light to start up again, regardless of the type of light.

Make small changes and you could see a big difference to your energy bill. Save money and do your bit to help the environment by making your home greener and more sustainable.

Home Energy Monitors

Do you know how much electricity you are using and more importantly what is being wasted?

An energy monitor is a device designed to help you understand where and how you use energy, helping you to make savings on your electricity bill by being more energy efficient.

It gives you the power to understand exactly how much electricity is being used and therefore how much money you are spending. It can calculate the daily and monthly running costs of household appliances and lighting - so when you turn on the kettle, for example, you can see exactly how much energy you are using. We’re all responsible for the energy we use, so take control with a home energy monitor. Pick up one today from your preferred retailer.

The Minim+ Home Energy Monitor is the device we reccomend.