With the colder months looming, many of us will soon be reaching for the thermostat, but the spike in energy bills over winter can be a concern. In this blog we will be looking at how to reduce energy consumption and, as a result, the heating bills in your home.
Close off unused rooms
One way to reduce your energy consumption is to close off unused rooms and to make sure the radiators are turned off in those rooms. This way, your heating system will not be wasting energy trying to heat the whole house, only the rooms you are using. Make sure these rooms are occasionally heated, however, especially if they contain water pipes in the walls that could freeze otherwise.
Keep the blinds open to let the sun heat rooms on sunny days
When it’s a bright, sunny day, let the sun do the work of your central heating! By keeping the blinds open your rooms will naturally heat up while the sun is on them. Even in winter, the heat from the sun will be enough to provide plenty of warmth in most rooms. By the same logic, you should also close the curtains or blinds once the sun has gone in to provide another layer of insulation against the cold air outside.
Have your thermostat set to a lower temperature or get a smart meter
It isn’t realistic to try and never have the heating on (especially in the UK), but we often have the thermostat set to a higher temperature than we need to, especially when we first turn it on and are trying to heat up quickly. One way to reduce heating bills is to have your thermostat set a few degrees lower consistently; you’ll still get the benefits of the heating, but the system won’t need to use as much energy.
Another way you can have better control over your heating bills is by getting a smart meter installed so that you don’t have to rely on estimated bills or providing your own readings. They also tell you how much energy you are using in real-time, so you know where to make adjustments.
Make sure your doors and windows have no air leaks
If there are any air leaks in your home, then a portion of all the heat you generate will escape, meaning that you’re effectively increasing the cost of your energy bills. The most common places for air leaks are around the frames of your doors and windows, which will need to be fixed. If any doors or windows aren’t shutting properly because they have become misaligned, then they may need to be refitted.
Rearrange furniture to improve airflow
Rearranging your furniture is more than just aesthetic. If you have furniture blocking radiators or other heat sources, then you may consider moving them to improve the airflow in the room and prevent any cold spots. You also should not try to block air vents, as proper ventilation is necessary for your home to regulate temperature, and moisture can become trapped if it cannot escape.
Install external wall insulation
One way you can permanently reduce your energy consumption is by having external wall insulation (EWI) installed. EWI can reduce your annual heating bills by 50%, lower your carbon footprint and it also reduces damp, condensation and noise. EWI is a layered system that is added to the exterior of your property to create a much more effective thermal barrier, stopping heat escaping the house in the winter.
Once EWI is installed, it doesn’t need any further maintenance and, as the entire installation process is completed on the exterior of the property, there is minimal disruption caused by the work. There are even some government grants available for making energy-efficient improvements such as EWI to the home.
If you would like to have external wall insulation installed on your property, please get in touch with us, we’ll be happy to help.