Energy Efficiency Tips For Pet Owners

Any pet owner will attest to the importance to taking good care of Fido, Felix, Alvin and co, but that can often mean failing to consider energy efficiency.

Some might feel their pet just needs to have the right temperature or lighting to make their wait for their owner more bearable, both of which can have negative effects when it comes to helping energy efficiency and are in fact wholly unnecessary.

Thankfully though, there are plenty of options to help energy efficiency, especially as a pet owner as I'll explore in this article.

To start with look at using a programmable thermostat if you have one. Believe it or not but Fido is perfectly capable of coping with the temperature, regardless of the season. That fur coat they have is a good give away as to them being able to cope with the cold so you can make sure the heating is not over-used, improving your energy efficiency and saving you money which you can then spend on your little precious pet in the form of toys and treats!

If you have a cat or dog door fitted in your home, make sure you pick one which is air tight and generally well-sealed. This will help with energy efficiency as some will literally just open and let all the warmth out, not so energy efficient!

Earlier I mentioned some people may feel they need to leave the light on for their pet, this is just not necessary. Unless you think your pet is going to sit snuggled up on the sofa reading a good book, then you should let them cope with lighting naturally - no need for leaving the lights on all day, and a tip which will be instant provider of improved energy efficiency.

So they won't need a light to read a book, and similarly, they won't need the television on to watch the early re-runs of Neighbours and Home and Away. Yes, I know there seems to be an increasing development in dog and animal TV channels, but honestly it is not worth the trouble. Rest assured a bone or toy will provide more enjoyment than any boxset you pick out as essential viewing for your pet. These require no electricity and will again help with your energy efficiency.

A final tip when it comes to increasing energy efficiency in a home with pets in is to look at how you wash their fabrics too. Unlike clothing items for yourself, you can feel quite comfortable washing your pets fabrics on a cold wash. This will use a lot less energy, and to be honest when was the last time you saw a dog cuddling up with freshly washed laundry in a commercial? Probably never! The reason being they really don't care! As long as it's clean they're sure to be happy, but more often than not, you will be cleaning these fabrics to get rid of the pong offending your nose more than your pets!

So there you have it, a number of tips for pet owners to improve the energy efficiency of their homes. What's more, many of these tips can be applied by non-pet owners to improve their energy efficiency too, especially when it comes to using lighting and electrical items more efficiently.