Improving your home’s energy efficiency is vital when it comes to protecting both the planet and your wallet. From reducing heat loss in the home to installing energy-efficient appliances, there are a lot of different ways to make energy-saving home improvements that make a big difference to your energy bills. Here are our top 10 ways you can help improve energy efficiency in your home.
Install a smart home heating system
Smart home heating systems allow you to have full, accurate control over the heating in your home, ensuring no unnecessary energy is wasted. Thermostats and timers help you set your heating to come on and go off at specified times, whether that be when you come in from work or when your home reaches its desired temperature. It’s also much easier to maintain your heating with smart home heating controls, as you can control it from your phone or tablet and keep an eye on it from anywhere.
Check radiators & install radiator valves
Frequently checking that radiators are working at full capacity and radiating heat is a good way to ensure you’re not using an unnecessary amount of energy to get minimal warmth. Sometimes, bleeding your radiators provides an easy fix for those that aren’t getting hot enough. If that still doesn’t help, then it may be beneficial to call a plumber to install a new radiator. It’s also a good idea to install radiator valves to maintain effective heating; They allow you to control individual radiator temperatures, ensuring you don’t use unnecessary energy heating rooms that don’t need the warmth.
Draught proof
Securing gaps and cracks in doors, windows, chimneys and floorboards with the likes of silicones and sealants will stop as much heat from leaving your property, helping you spend less on heating to keep it warm. In older properties, it might be beneficial to replace windows and doors if draught-proofing doesn’t work. Upgrading to double glazed windows will also make a big difference in keeping your property warm.
Maintain pipes
Installing pipe covering and pipe insulation helps pipes keep the water warmer for longer, meaning less energy and money needs to be spent on heating is ready for use.
Install underfloor heating
There are many benefits of underfloor heating, with one being how efficient it is when it comes to warming up a room. Instead of radiators that heat one area gradually, underfloor heating heats the entire room all at once, meaning less energy is needed to heat all the space.
Improve lighting
With lighting accounting for ⅓ of a home’s overall electricity bill, making the switch to LED or energy-saving bulbs is a good way to minimise the amount of energy used lighting up your property. Although a little bit more difficult to alter, natural light is also beneficial when it comes to reducing lighting bills. Reducing the reliance on electricity is always a good thing to do for your pocket, but having more natural lighting adds value to your home too.
Make water system more efficient
Installing low-flow plumbing fixtures and water-saving appliances helps you limit the amount of water needed when in use. Water-saving shower heads are a great option, but showering for a shorter period will make a big difference too.
Replace high-energy appliances with more efficient ones
Opting for energy-efficient appliances helps lower your energy bills instantly, and is especially beneficial when it comes to energy indulgent appliances such as fridges, tumble dryers and TVs. The EPC rating of your property can be impacted by the energy efficiency of your built-in appliances, as well as by insulation, lighting efficiency, double glazing and use of solar power.
Insulate
It’s known that in an uninsulated home, 25% of heat escapes through the roof, 35% escapes through walls and windows, and 10% escapes through the floor. This is why it’s important to fully insulate your property, as less lost heat means less energy and money is wasted on heating. Floor insulation, external wall insulation and cavity wall insulation are all ways you can fully insulate your property, as well as roof insulation and loft insulation.
Maintain or replace a boiler
Making sure your boiler is efficient and working properly stops you from wasting energy and spending a hefty amount of money on making your property warm. Sometimes, it’s better to replace a boiler than try and get it fixed. A new energy-efficient boiler should be at least 90% efficient, which converts 1 unit of gas into 0.9 units of useful heat. A boiler that’s 10+ years old is likely to be just 65% efficient, meaning a boiler of this age should be replaced. Making energy-efficient home improvements is a great way to make massive changes to your energy bills, as well as ensure your property stays warm this winter.
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