Due to the rising energy prices this year, many people are understandably worried about how much it will cost to heat their homes as the days get colder. 

While there is little we can do about the price of the bills themselves, we can make improvements to our homes to make them more thermally efficient, reducing the amount of time we need to have the heating on altogether. Here is how to save on heating bills this winter.

Install external wall insulation

One of the best ways to save on heating bills is to improve your home’s insulation. External wall insulation adds a thermal barrier to the outside of your home, meaning it is much more difficult for heat to escape. This means that the heat that you do generate from your heating system will keep the house warm for longer. External wall insulation is so efficient that it can reduce your annual heating bill by up to 50%. 

Install Triple glazing or Pilkington K Glass

Your windows are another part of your house where heat can easily escape. Single-glazed windows are very inefficient and, while most homes do have double glazing these days, even these can be improved upon. Triple-glazed is a type of window that has three panes of glass with spaces between to provide a better U-value than double-glazing. 

Alternatively, Pilkington K Glass is a type of double glazing that has a U-value of 1.9 and the same energy efficiency as triple glazing. 

Make sure the roof has adequate insulation

In uninsulated homes, a quarter of the heat from the home is lost through the roof. This is why it’s important to insulate your roof properly in time for the winter if you want to save on your energy bills. 

There are a number of different options available for insulating your loft, depending on whether you have a ‘warm’ or ‘cold’ loft (meaning whether it is a habitable space), but in general, loft insulation is a simple and effective way to reduce heat loss.

Consider underfloor insulation

The final area of your home you may consider insulating to reduce your heating bills this winter is your floor. This only really applies to the ground floor and any rooms above unheated spaces such as garages. 

If there is a space below the floor, or the floor needs replacing, then insulation can be installed underneath. If there is no space underneath, then rigid insulation can be laid on top.

Only heat the rooms you are using

A general tip for saving on heating bills this winter is to only heat the rooms you are using by turning off the radiators in the unused rooms. This way you won’t be wasting money by heating rooms unnecessarily. If you will be going into a room later, such as the bedroom, you can always go and turn the radiators on in that room ten minutes before you go to bed. 

Get a new energy-efficient boiler or a heat pump

Our final tip for reducing heating bills is to change how efficiently your home is being heated. If it is old and inefficient, you can replace your boiler with either a new energy-efficient boiler or a heat pump. Heat pumps are much cheaper to run than gas boilers and have an efficient conversion rate of energy to heat.

 

Unfortunately, we will all be facing very high heating and energy bills this winter. What we can do is make positive changes to our homes and our habits to use our heating systems more efficiently.

If you are looking to insulate your home, you can view our external wall insulation and other services.