Over 100 ways to save personal and home energy when living with a neuro condition

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Tackling the energy crisis with an energy-zapping neuro condition? Over 100 ways to save your own and your home's power supplies!

Soaring gas and electricity prices amid the cost-of-living crisis are causing a double dilemma for folks living with neuro conditions.

Many already face daily challenges caused by fatigue, often relying on self-managed fatigue strategies as the only way to cope.

So, making that extra effort to set energy-saving plans in motion at home, no matter how vital, isn't a task everyone, well, has the energy to do.

That's why we are making it more accessible – combining over 100 occupational therapy and DIY strategies to tackle both personal AND domestic energy overload.

We hope our two-in-one, go-to list gets you on your way to conserving as much as possible of your own and your home's precious power.

And to give us all the nudge we need to start saving energy, here's a wise reminder from history:

It takes as much energy to wish as it does to plan.

US First Lady, Eleanor Roosevelt (1884 – 1962)

Energy savers – for you.

Knowing how to conserve your energy is essential if a neuro condition causes fatigue or worsens it.

But first, you need to understand your fatigue better. You can do this by looking closely at how you spend your time from day to day and week to week.

This will give you a clearer picture of when your fatigue sets in, how long it lasts, and links to other things in your life, such as your activity schedule, health, or mood.

It will also help you to balance periods of rest and activity, giving you a better chance of continuing the activities you want or need to do or engaging in new ones.

Everyday energy savers

Wear clothes that suit your activities and the temperature around you.
Set your priorities, so you know how you will spend your time.
Plan your time and break tasks down into smaller chunks that are easier to do.
Check your posture! Is your body feeling comfortable while doing a task?
Pace yourself, breathe, and make sure you take enough rest breaks.
Sit down to do things when possible.
Keep within your reach the items that you use regularly.
Position furniture and fittings to make it easy for you to move around them.

Activity energy-savers

Combine energy-saving kit with occupational therapy tips to help ease activities of daily living, as follows:

Dressing

Dressing sticks
Button hooks
Leg lifters
Long handled shoehorns
Sock aids
Zip pulls

Up the energy

Gather your clothes together first
Sit down to dress and start with your lower half
Choose clothes that are easy to put on, fasten and remove
Put skirts on over your head
Cross your legs to bring your foot closer

Gardening

Automatic watering devices
Electrical tools
Folding/kneeling stools
Long-handled and lightweight tools
Tiered planter shelves
Wheeled carts
Wheeled garden seats

Up the energy

Work on your garden in sections
Choose low-maintenance plants, beds, and window boxes
Keep hanging baskets within reach of watering

Housework and laundry

Lightweight vacuum cleaners
Long handled brushes, mops, dusters, and dustpans
Adaptable ironing boards
Adjustable clothes driers

Up the energy

Spread tasks across the day and week, balancing lighter and heavier duties
Choose clothes and linen that wash and dry easily
Use a low-level clothes drier and sit to hang out washing
Sit while washing up, cleaning or ironing
If you can, place your dustbin as close as possible to the front or back door

Meal-making

Electrical appliances, such as electric can openers
Adapted utensils such as rocker knives with built-up handles
Adapted kitchenware such as scoop dishes
Lightweight pots and pans
Kitchen trolleys

Up the energy

Choose easy and quick recipes
Choose frozen ready meals now and then
Cook large amounts of food to save cooking again
Freeze extra food in usable portions
Place things in the kitchen within easy reach
Soak hand-washed dishes to save scrubbing
Air-dry hand-washed dishes

Mobility

Grab bars for stability
Ramps to ease accessibility
Reachers for grasping objects
Transfer seats/benches for balance challenges
Walkers to support mobilising
Wheelchairs, both manual and powered
Wheeled trolleys to help with heavy objects.

Up the energy

Take regular rest breaks between physical activities
Try controlled breathing (in through your nose and out through your lips) for five to ten minutes to help you relax

Shopping

Shopping trolleys
Wheeled baskets
Food home delivery services

Up the energy

Give yourself plenty of time to do your shopping
Avoid busy shopping times
Plan your shopping list to match the order of the food aisles
Choose a shallow trolley to save bending in
Pack food items together that you store together at home
Consider ordering food online via a home delivery service

Washing, grooming, and toileting

Dry shampoo
Electric shavers and toothbrushes
Handheld shower heads
Long-handled wash sponges
Raised toilet seats
Shower chairs
Shower organisers

Up the energy

Make sure water isn't too hot as heat can make fatigue and tiredness worse
Sit down to brush your teeth and wash and dry
Choose liquid soap for quicker lathering
Pat dry instead of rubbing
Strip wash at the sink instead of bathing or showering

Energy savers – for your home

Since our home can reflect who we are and how we live our lives, it's helpful to get to know it just as well as we do ourselves.

But that doesn't mean just learning about a home's layout, lighting, fixtures, and fittings.

With global energy prices rising, it's never been more important than now to know precisely how much energy your home is using – and losing.

Your energy supplier will be able to show you your usage in recent months. And the UK's Energy Saving Trust has some great ideas on how to reduce it, such as:

Awash with savings

Set your washing machine to a 30-degree cycle and use it once less every week.
Use indoor racks and outdoor lines to dry clothes to reduce your use of an energy-eating tumble drier.

Bake off

Serve yourself right while cooking by filling pans only to the level you need.
A microwave oven saves energy as it only heats the food inside, unlike other ovens that heat the air.

Blinding lights

Ease up on your use of lights by making sure you switch off the ones you don't need.
When you replace bulbs, choose LEDs as they use less energy and last a lot longer than regular bulbs.

Clean cut

Showers use power, so try to limit your shower to four minutes if you can.
If you enjoy a bath, swap just one bathing session weekly for a 4-minute shower to soak up another energy cut.

Cold fix

When choosing a new fridge, freezer, or combined fridge freezer, look for one that is no bigger than your needs.
If you can, choose one that has a high energy efficiency rating, as shown on its energy label.

Cracks and gaps

Check for gaps around windows and doors and cracks in skirting boards and floors where warm air is escaping, or cold air is coming in.
Draught-proof floors, walls, tanks, pipes, radiators, lofts, and roofs.

Rate it

If you can, choose appliances and electronics with high energy efficiency ratings, including:

Dishwashers
Gas, electric and microwave ovens
Kettles
Personal computers (PCs) and tablets
Televisions, DAB radios and smart speakers
Washing machines and tumble driers

Standby for switch off

If an appliance does not need to stay in power-sucking standby mode, turn it off at the plug
Invest in a smart plug that turns off all your appliances at once.