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“When my sons come home for Christmas, it’s like a free for all,” one exasperated father in Leinster tells Irish Country Living in confidence. “One, for example, will blast the heating in his room and then go downstairs to do a workout where he will leave open all the windows. It doesn’t make sense.”
Yes, it’s the most wonderful time of the year – the time for families big and small to come together. While many are looking forward to the quality time they hope to spend together, some parents of adult children are concerned about the increase in their utility bills during this time.
Home comforts
Let’s not be too hard on the kids. I can remember coming home for Christmas after a stressful few months at college. The home I had taken for granted for so long was suddenly full of tiny luxuries: a washer and dryer which weren’t coin-operated; a shower with a bath tub; a seemingly never-ending supply of toilet roll; and most importantly, a break from having to “adult” for the first time. The freedom at college was exhilarating, but the responsibilities were intense.
That said, we can’t ignore the current economic climate and its impact on Irish families. Consumers (both in the Republic and in Northern Ireland) are wary when it comes to parting with their hard earned cash, thanks to the COVID-19 pandemic followed by the cost of living increases we have seen in recent years.
According to compareni.com (which specialises in cost comparisons for Northern Ireland residents), two thirds of families are concerned that this Christmas dinner will be the most expensive they have ever had to prepare.
A recent survey suggests 34% feel Christmas dinner will cost an additional £50-£200 (€58-€232) – especially for those who plan to have visitors or family members returning home for the holidays.
Mind the gogglebox
Greg Wilson, founder and CEO of the cost comparison site, says that if you are concerned about increased costs in the coming weeks,“switching off” might be your best solution.
“One of the most used appliances for many families around Christmas is the TV,” he says. “Hours can be spent watching films, playing new video games or listening to music stations in the background when prepping food or catching up with family. For those with guests or kids returning home from college, chances are there will be additional TVs in use, as well.
“The annual standby cost of just one TV is £5.70 per year but it’ll be even more expensive if you have a set-top box. TVs are already one of the energy-hungriest devices so make sure to switch them off completely when they’re not in use, to help cut back on costs.”
Great expectations
A Munster-based mother of four (who also wishes to remain anonymous) says that when her children come home from college, they often bring friends along and expect several weeks of non-stop food, gatherings and alcohol – but not on their own dime.
“There’s always the expectation that there will be plenty of food and wine in a very warm, clean wonderful house for them,” she says, laughing ruefully. “And they all come from cities now, which means they’ve forgotten that houses are supposed to be a bit chilly.
“Also, if there’s a big crowd of them for a few weeks, your septic tank gets a bit of a hammering so you have to keep an eye on that,” she continues. “There’s lots of showering going on which means lots of washing towels. They only wear things once and only use towels, once which means everything is washed and tumbled dried. And they will tumble dry one pair of knickers at a time, if they need them.”
Hot costs a lot
Daragh Cassidy, head of communications at bonkers.ie, says that a good thing to remember here is, “if it makes things hot, particularly in a short space of time, it costs a lot.”
“Think kettles, hair dryers, tumble dryers and electric showers – they all have a ferocious appetite for electricity,” he explains. “An electric oven is also a big energy guzzler and will cost around €0.80 to €0.90 an hour to run. As your fridge is on all day, every day, it uses more electricity than people think – around €0.30 a day, or a tenner a month.” And remember, always turn off the immersion.
Daragh’s Christmas money-saving tips
1 Choose LED: An LED light bulb uses up to 90% less energy than a halogen light bulb and can also last well over 10 years compared to two years for a standard bulb. Replacing all light bulbs in your house could easily save you up to €100 a year depending on how many lights you have.
2 Submit regular meter readings: You should only pay for what you use, right? This is why you should submit a meter reading to your energy provider for every bill so that you’re not charged for energy you haven’t used. Because although energy companies are fairly good at estimating bills, they don’t always get it right.
3 Turn down your thermostat: Between the cooking, the lit candles, visiting guests, and perhaps even a fire burning, your home may be naturally warmer than it usually is over Christmas. So turn down the thermostat a notch. Turning the temperature down by just one degree could save you around €150 a year on your heating costs. 4 Cook cleverly: When your food is nearly cooked, turn off the rings/oven and use the built up heat to finish cooking your food. Your oven will stay at the exact same temperature for up to five minutes or more. Depending on usage, you could save up to €20 a year.
5 Use a timer plug for your lights: A timer plug is a cost effective and simple way to control the time your lights come on and off around the home. They’re pretty cheap to buy – with basic ones costing around €10 at most – and can help to reduce your electricity usage.
6 Choose the Christmas tree placement: Whether it’s real or fake, big or small, you should avoid putting your tree right beside any radiators or main sources of heat as you’ll simply block the heat and end up with a warm tree.
7 Switch energy supplier: Switching your energy supplier is still the quickest and easiest way to save big on your energy bills. That’s because gas and electricity suppliers almost always save their cheapest tariffs for brand-new customers, which are heavily discounted compared to the standard rates a longer-term customer is charged. At the moment, you could save over €500 a year on your gas and electricity costs just by switching your supplier.
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