Every year in the UK when the weather starts to get colder, many people begin to worry about how they are going to afford to heat their homes. After years of rising energy costs, switching on the radiators gets a little more daunting every time, with homeowners knowing that as the temperature plummets, their energy bills are going to see a considerable increase.
However, in the face of rising energy bills, and the consistently cold UK weather, there are many things that can be done to cut costs, and find more energy efficient ways to heat your home.
There are multiple ways in which you can prepare your home for the future, as well as D.I.Y projects that can help your home to be more energy efficient, and reduce heating costs long-term.
Helping to shave pounds off every energy bill, combating your homes efficiency now, rather than late,r can be much more beneficial to your bank balance, and help to reduce the worry of switching on your heating. On top of considering whether gas or electric heating options are cheaper, there is much more that you can do.
Invest in the Future with an Energy Efficient Home
Investing in energy efficient ways to heat a home is ideal for homeowners who want to protect their property from future price hikes. Energy efficient homes are not only incredibly appealing to potential buyers, they can seriously reduce your monthly bills as well.
In many cases, properly investing in energy efficient solutions can pay for itself in just a few years, with savings on bills, and the prevention of long-term property damage. It is important to identify which areas of your property are causing it to be less energy efficient with websites like Home Logic, offering top of the range services that can help with energy efficient ways to heat your home.
Increase Your Thermal Efficiency with More Suitable Windows
One of the main causes for heat loss in our homes are the windows, with a significant proportion of the heat that is being paid for then being wasted, due to badly fitted or unsuitable windows. Investing in new windows is a simple way to reduce heat loss, and help a home to be more energy efficient.
Reducing the costs of your energy bills is just one benefit to new windows, with many homeowners also benefiting from reduced traffic noise and improved security as well.
- Repair your windows- Damaged, or poorly fitted windows, allow a lot of heat to escape from your home, rendering your heat retention efforts futile from the outset. Instead of turning the heating up, and suffering from bigger bills, repairing existing windows, and ensuring that they are free from gaps and secure, will keep the heat locked in, and your costs down.
- Consider triple glazing- Triple glazing is an ideal way to increase the thermal efficiency of your home. Many homes across the UK still rely on double glazing, or even single panel glass windows to keep the heat in, something that, in the face of freezing temperatures, will not allow for energy efficient heating.
Insulate Your Home for Better Heat Retention
Insulation is one of the primary investments that a family can make towards enjoying an energy efficient future. Being one of the most important energy efficient ways to heat your home, insulating your home properly will keep the cold out and the heat in, meaning that during the long Winter months, you don’t have to turn the heating up in order to stay warm.
Home insulation comes in multiple forms, and there are substantial benefits to home insulation that are noticeable as soon as the insulation is fitted.
- Spray from insulation- Professionally installed spray foam insulation will create a barrier between the interior of your home and the exterior, ridding it of many of the escape routes that heat seeks to take advantage of. By keeping the warm air in, your property will naturally be warmer, with less money and energy needing to be spent on switching the heating on.
- Conservatory insulation- In the UK, conservatories are a desired addition to almost all types of property, allowing residents to enjoy warm Summer weather. However, during the latter part of the year, they can be a considerable cause of energy inefficiency. Installing conservatory roof insulation enables the desirable space to be used throughout the year, making heating a home in the Winter much more efficient.
- Wall coatings- On older brick properties, wall coatings are an easy and simple addition that helps the property to obtain a more modern style of efficiency, without detracting from the look of a property. An invisible barrier is applied to a property’s exterior, helping to maintain the heat levels in a home, without having to switch on any additional devices.
Home Remedies for More Efficient Energy Use
Finding more energy efficient ways to heat your home doesn’t just stop at investing in upgrading your property’s insulation There are many small investments and basic D.I.Y projects that anyone can undertake, in order to get the most out of the energy they pay for.
With a few simple changes to your home, you could be enjoying a much warmer environment, as well as significantly lower energy costs, by maximising the heat retention of your rooms.
- Rearrange your furniture- To get the most out of the heat they pay for, many people choose to move their furniture closer to radiators, so they can feel warmer more quickly. While it may be warmer closer to the radiator, having your furniture close stops heat from circulating throughout the rest of the room. Moving your sofa or bulky items of furniture further away from a radiator will allow your whole room to benefit from the heat, reducing your overall expenditure.
- Increase your appliance control- Having greater control over your heating allows for the ability to make the most out of it, and only heat the rooms that you are currently using. Installing timers on your radiators, as well as ensuring that you can control each radiator individually, will stop you wasting energy when you don’t need to heat a room.
- Invest in radiator panels- Radiator panels stop heat from escaping into the walls, instead reflecting it back into the room that you want to be heated. They are relatively inexpensive and very simple to install, placing one behind each of your radiators will allow for a more efficient return from your heating.
- Protect your rooms against draughts- Needless to say, draughts are heat’s biggest adversary. Insulating each of your rooms will stop the heat escaping into other rooms, and being lost. Ensuring that your curtains completely cover your windows, and that the gaps underneath doors are covered, will help heat to stay where you want it to be. Investing in thicker curtains, and ensuring that the curtains are kept out of the way of the radiators will help to further capitalise on your heat retention efforts.
- Bleed your radiators- It is advised that homes should bleed their radiators around once every 12 months, to get rid of the air bubbles that become trapped in the system. A radiator with air bubbles won’t work efficiently, and while you may be paying for the energy, the heat will not disperse into the furthest reaches of the room. Regular radiator bleeding will help you to maintain energy efficiency, and reduce your monthly energy bills as a result.
Be More Efficient with Your Energy Provider Choices
Equipping your home to be more heat efficient is a great way to save money during the colder months, and ensure that you are capitalising on the energy you are paying for. However, one of the key elements to look at when finding the most energy efficient ways to heat your home is the energy provider that you are using.
Once you have made your home as energy efficient as possible, getting a lower cost for your energy will help you to save even more, and reduce the worry of having to switch on your heating to stay warm.
Energy price comparison websites like My Energy allow you to get the most energy for your money, by comparing the different deals that providers are offering at any one time. Making the most of your energy efficient home by paying the least amount of money for your energy is one of the best ways to be efficiently heat your home.
The process only takes a couple of minutes to complete, and you can select a new energy provider that will better suit the energy requirements of your home and family.
Nobody should have to worry about exorbitant energy costs, so saving energy every day, and making the most of energy comparison sites to get the cheapest energy bills will set you up for the future. Implementing just a few tricks of the trade to heat your home will set you on the road to saving, and take the worry out of what to do in the Winter months to keep warm.
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