How do you drive your home?

When you buy a more fuel-efficient car, you probably feel good at the time of purchase about the savings you're going to make. But do you still remember that it's important not to drive flat out, avoid sitting in traffic jams (is that possible?) or consider whether a journey is really necessary.

So what's the point here?

Buying a car is a one-off decision. And buying a more economic and environmentally friendly model is of course great. But how you drive it is also important and could potentially bring about significant financial savings. And that is the really hard part because it requires a change in our personal attitudes that will impact our daily lives. Now lets move to the home...

To address the challenge of reducing our gas and electricity bills, we often think that, like buying a more fuel-efficient car, the only challenge is to improve the efficiency of the electrical items we use, upgrade the loft insulation and install draught excluder, etc. But surely the real question is, how do you drive your home?

How many 'drivers' are there in your home?

And here is an interesting departure from the car analogy. A car has one driver who governs how the fuel is used by the way they drive or the route they take. However, in a single house every occupant is potentially a 'driver' and responsible for the total energy consumed - and of course the figure showing the amount you owe at the bottom of your gas and electricity bills.

Check your energy usage and in most cases a house that has four adults in it will generally consume much more power than one that has one or two. The kettle, washing machine, oven, microwave are all likely to be used more frequently. Yes, the fridge and freezer do stay on, but the doors gets opened twice as often. And then there's the mobile, laptop and toothbrush chargers. OK, this is a generalisation and all homes have a different occupancy profile, but you get the drift.

Are you all driving in the same direction?

That's why we believe that it's going to be difficult for some families to bring about the level of changes needed to make substantial cuts in their home energy usage and of course bills. One person can make a difference. But each individual occupant, as a 'driver' and user of electricity in that home, will also need to recognise the need to change the way they personally use energy. And that will almost certainly mean a change in lifestyle for everyone.

Now that will be a challenge!

This article is published by the Energy Saving Centre